Book 1: The Wild Side
by Erin Hunteress
Summary: Silverpaw and Rainpaw are ordinary apprentices in ThunderClan, living peacefully many, many moons after the Dark Forest's defeat. But rumors of the evil cats' return are beginning to spread, and the siblings are suddenly thrown into the heart of an oncoming war; along with Derby, a simple horseplace cat with a destiny greater than she realizes. Full Summary Inside, T for Violence
1. Allegiances

**K.A.K: Hello and welcome to Book 1: The Wild Side! (^=^) As a reward for clicking this, here is the full summary~**

**Silverpaw and Rainpaw are ordinary apprentices in ThunderClan, living peacefully many moons after the Dark Forest's defeat. But rumors of the evil cats' return are beginning to spread, and the siblings are suddenly thrown into the heart of an oncoming war; along with Derby, a simple horseplace cat with a destiny greater than she realizes. Will all of it fall into darkness, or will the three cats accept their fate and succeed? Rated T for Violence and Death.**

**Now, the Allegiances! (Please do _NOT_ Copy the names, ehehe)**

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**_ThunderClan_**

**Leader:**

**+Lightningstar-**Bright ginger tom with white flash on his chest.

**Deputy:**

**+Stormysky-**Dark gray tom.

**Medicine cat:**

**+Cloudwatcher-**Fluffy white tom.

**Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits):**

**+Darkcloud-** Dark gray tom; apprentice, Rainpaw.

**+Duskeyes-** Dusky brown she-cat; apprentice, Loudpaw.

**+Shockwave-** Silver and white tom; apprentice, Brightpaw.

**+Boltecho-** Black tom with white patches; apprentice, Flashpaw.

**+Wildfire**- Dark ginger tom; apprentice, Silverpaw.

**+Burntface**- Gray tabby tom with a burnt face due to fire.

**+Floodsplash**- Brown tabby tom.

**+Frogpad**- Brown tom.

**+Striketail**-Black tom with brown with white stripes on tail.

**+Shimmertail**- Pretty black and silver she-cat.

**+Torrentfur-** Mottled gray tom.

**+Flameheart**- Ginger tom.

**+Ashfall**- Gray-brown tabby tom.

**+Poolbreeze**- Dark silver and white she-cat.

**+Mistystep**- Pale gray she-cat.

**+Beetleleap**- Black tom.

**+Droopflower**-Brown and cream she-cat.

**+Soggyleaf**- Gray she-cat.

**+Rosefall**- White she-cat with ginger spots.

**+Dampfeather-** Brown tortoiseshell she-cat.

**+Bluewhisker-** Blue-gray tom.

**+Rushtail-** Brown tabby tom.

**+Fernfrost**- Tortoiseshell and white she-cat.

**Apprentices (more than six moons old, training to become Warriors):**

**+Rainpaw**- Light gray tabby she-cat with darker flecks & a white tail tip.

**+Silverpaw**- Silver and white tabby white she-cat.

**+Loudpaw**- Ginger and white tom.

**+Flashpaw**- Ginger tom.

**+Brightpaw**- Pale ginger she-cat.

**Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits):**

**+Puddlesplash**- Pale gray queen.

**+Mudstream**- Mottled dark brown queen.

**Elders (former warriors and queens now retired):**

**+Drizzlecloud**- Mottled gray tom.

**+Wetpelt**- Gray tom with scared muzzle.

* * *

**_ShadowClan_**

**Leader:**

**+Nightstar**- Pitch black tom.

**Deputy:**

**+Scarnose**- Old brown tom with long scar on muzzle that crosses over his nose.

**Medicine cat:**

**+Swiftstep**- White tom with one black paw.

**Warriors:**

**+Spidertail**- Black tom.

**+Tigershadow**- Ginger tabby tom.

**+Tackleclaw**- Old gray tom; apprentice, Bloodpaw.

**+Talonwhisker**- Skinny gray tabby tom; apprentice, Scratchpaw.

**+Boneclaw**- White tom.

**+Sharpthorn**- Dark brown and white tom; apprentice, Clawpaw.

**+Deepwater**- Dark gray tabby she-cat.

**+Crowtalon**- Black tom.

**+Hawkscar**-Dark brown tabby tom with white underbelly and a scar on his back.

**+Crashtail**- Black tom.

**+Waspstep**- Golden tabby tom.

**+Shortberry**- Wiry brown she-cat.

**+Stickclaw**- Brown tom with a torn ear.

**+Grassheart**- Cream colored tom.

**+Weedclaw**- Dark brown tabby tom.

**+Sourberry**- Silver tabby she-cat.

**+Crushfoot**- Cream-colored tom.

**+Acorntail**- Brown tabby tom.

**+Fastcloud**- White she-cat with silver chest and legs.

**+Slashfoot**- Silver tabby tom.

**Queens:**

**+Shadeflower**- Dark gray and black queen.

**+Blackstorm**- Black queen.

**+Leaftuft**- Golden brown tabby she-cat.

**Elders:**

**+Foxshadow**- Very old ginger tom.

**+Fangtooth**- Pale gray and white tom.

* * *

**_WindClan_**

**Leader:**

**+Breezestar**- Brown tabby tom.

**Deputy: **

**+Heathershine**- Young gray she-cat.

**Medicine cat:**

**+Moonsparkle**- White she-cat with shiny fur; apprentice, **Dreampaw**- Small white she-cat with one amber eye and one blind blue eye.

**Warriors:**

+**Horsepelt**- Brown tom with white ears; apprentice, Copperpaw.

+**Snakefang**- Pale brown tabby tom.

+**Ratface**- Brown tom with a narrow face; apprentice, Sneakpaw.

+**Edgepath**- Brown tabby tom; apprentice, Meadowpaw.

+**Junipershade**- Gray tabby she-cat.

+**Tanglevine**-Cream and black colored tom.

+**Flintpad**-Old gray tom.

+**Stingclaw**-Small black tom with gray paws.

+**Swamptail**- Mottled brown tabby tom.

+**Stinkfur**- Very small light brown tom.

+**Struggleleap**- Orange colored tom.

+**Stumblelegs**- Clumsy gray-brown tabby tom.

+**Dawnspeckle**- Gray she-cat with cream splotches.

+**Reedthorn**- Tall dark brown tabby tom.

+**Ivyleaf**- Tortoiseshell she-cat.

+**Brackenwhisker**- Pale brown tabby tom.

+**Moontail**- Dark gray she-cat with lighter tail.

+**Sunshadow**- Golden tom with black specks.

+**Furzewing**- Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with fur that sticks out.

+**Marshclaw**- Mottled gray tabby tom.

**Queens:**

**+Glossyfur**- White queen with glossy fur.

+**Gingerstripe**- Ginger tabby queen.

+**Steamheart**- Gray queen.

**Elders:**

**+Chasewhisker**- Golden tabby tom

+**Poisonclaw**- Black tom (former loner).

* * *

**_RiverClan_**

**Leader:**

**+Creekstar**- Pale gray tabby tom with one brown paw and one white paw.

**Deputy:**

**+Willowshade**- Dark gray she-cat.

**Medicine cat:**

**+Leafdancer**- Pretty tortoiseshell she-cat.

**Warriors:**

**+Otterheart**- Slender brown tom.

+**Fishtail**- Silver tom; apprentice, Shorepaw.

+**Lilywater**- Silver tabby and white she-cat; apprentice, Wavepaw.

+**Pikesplash**- Light brown tabby tom; apprentice, Minnowpaw.

+**Volestep**- Small dark brown tom; apprentice, Tidepaw.

+**Mistdapple**- Dappled silver she-cat.

+**Lizardtooth**- Pale brown tabby tom.

+**Toadleap**- Large brown tom.

+**Twistedtalon**- Black tom with a twisted claw.

+**Tinyshade**- Very small black and white she-cat.

+**Rattlewhisker**- Gray and brown tom.

+**Streaktail**- Black and ginger she-cat with white stripes on her tail.

+**Swirlfur**- Tortoiseshell she-cat.

+**Twigtail**- Large brown tom.

+**Longbreeze**- Gray and white tom.

+**Largescar**- Very dark gray tom with large scar on his side.

**Queens:**

**+Ambereyes**- Golden tabby she-cat.

+**Iceblossom**- White queen with gray legs and belly.

+**Featherfall**- Silver tabby queen.

**Elders:**

**+Whirlwind**- White tom (half Windclan)

+**Cloudtooth**- Very pale gray tom.

+**Mouseleaf**- Small brown she-cat.

+**Treeflower**- Brown and white she-cat.

+**Ravenstep**- Black tom.

+**Shallowpool**- Once pretty silver tabby she-cat.

* * *

**_Cats Outside of Clans_**

**+Jet**- Gray and white tom; lives with sister Derby in the Horseplace.

+**Derby**- Brown she-cat with reddish tint and black stripes on her tail; lives with brother Jet in the Horseplace.

+**Lucy**-Fluffy black she-cat; expecting kits as a kittypet in the Horseplace.


	2. Prologue

**K.A.K: Welcome to the prologue of The Wild Side! This is our/this account's first Warriors story, so please enjoy! (^~^)**

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_**Written By: Erin**_

_**Edited By: K.A.K**_

* * *

**Prologue**

In the silence of the night, all that could be heard was the mewling of new kits. The camp that was once alive with cats now looked deserted. Every feline in the clan was curled up in their nest, fast asleep; except for one dark gray tom that stood, waiting patiently in front of the nursery.

He looked tired, but was content on staying awake for the birth of his new kits. The tom readied his paws, waiting for his chance to come in the nursery. Then suddenly, a cat's head poked out; their gazes met. Agonizing seconds ticked by before the head nodded once, and slipped back inside the nursery. Eagerly, the gray tom followed.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw a pale gray she-cat lying on her side with two tiny kits in the curve of her belly. The she-cat looked up at the tom with pride in her eyes. Then, she looked back down. The tom followed her gaze to the new kits. One was a light gray tabby with darker flecks and a white tail tip, the other a silver and white tabby kit.

Slowly, he made his way over toward them. When he reached his new family, he licked each of the kits between the ears before he nuzzled his mate. "Stormysky." The dark gray tom turned at his name. Sitting in the entrance of the nursery, was a fluffy white tom with a tired expression on his face.

"Yes, Cloudwatcher?" Stormysky asked the medicine cat warily, hoping that nothing had gone wrong during the birth. He couldn't tell if the tom was just exhausted or worried about something.

"You have two she-kits." Cloudwatcher told him simply, before turning and leaving the family alone together. Stormysky turned back toward his mate with a look of relief; joy flooded through him. She stared back up at him with loving eyes.

"What should we name them?" Asked the new mother, unable to stop herself from purring. Stormysky stilled for a moment, staring at the squirming kits. The kits stayed close to each other, never straying too far from the other one. Stormysky could tell that the sisters would have a close bond in the future.

The new father got closer to the kits and sniffed each one, letting the scent of his daughters seep into him. The mother swiftly wrapped her tail around them protectively. Stormysky looked up due to the sudden action.

"Why did you do that, Puddlesplash?" The warrior asked, thoroughly confused.

The pale gray she-cat's face was still full of love when she replied, "I'm not sure. Maybe it's just a new mother's instinct." She looked away shyly. "I just feel like I have to keep them safe."

The tom felt a little surprised and shocked, but he quickly gained composure and stood closer to his mate. The queen looked up at him apologetically.

"Well, you know that you don't have to keep them safe from me." He said softly, licking Puddlesplash's ear affectionately. They both purred for a moment, enjoying the moment of pure happiness and tranquility. For this moment would never come again.

For the rest of the night, the couple snuggled close to each other in the nest of moss and feathers. The kits had eventually stopped their cries and fallen victim to sleep. "Rainkit." Stormysky suddenly whispered in his mate's ear. His tail rested on the mottled gray tabby kit. The mother nodded sleepily. Then she looked to the other kit.

"Silverkit." Her tired voice was barely heard as she spoke the name of the newborn silver and white tabby. Stormysky licked her ear in agreement; then together, the new parents fell asleep next to their kits, wishing that this moment could last forever.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

In a meadow of soft grass and many flowers, a ginger tom stared into a small pool of water. The pool reflected a dark gray tom, his mate, and two new kits. "The prophecy has been born." A voice announced abruptly from behind. The ginger tom turned to see a starry gray she-cat walking toward him.

She gave a brisk nod of greeting and settled herself down next to the tom. He stared at her for a moment before turning back to look at the pool.

"So it's true? What they say about the prophecy being reborn?" asked the ginger cat with an edge to his voice, not taking his eyes off of the pool. The she-cat only closed her eyes and nodded.

"You knew this day would come, Firestar." she said softly, glancing up at him. Firestar looked at the she-cat with mixed emotions.

"You're wrong, Bluestar!" his voice was choked slightly. Bluestar stared at him with a cold gaze that made Firestar shiver, but he continued. "I didn't die for nothing! We won the battle with the Dark Forest and now it's over. The clans can live in peace now!"

His voice was rising as he kept on, but there was still a quake to it. "We don't need new cats or a new prophecy!"

The tom was standing up now, facing Bluestar, nose to nose.

"Calm down." demanded the gray she-cat softly. "Do you want every cat to over hear us?" Her voice was calm, but by the way she was looking at Firestar, you could tell she wasn't exactly pleased with his sudden outburst.

Firestar had turned back to the pool, ears flat. "It won't work" he said lowly, his voice filled with sadness.

"What won't work?" asked a new voice. The leaders both turned to see an old gray she-cat with a broad face and matted fur stalking toward them.

"Firestar believes that the new prophecy-" Bluestar started, only to be interrupted.

"-Won't work." The gray she-cat concluded.

She now stood in between the two other cats. Bluestar nodded, while Firestar looked away from the she-cats. The grumpy old gray she-cat stared at Firestar with big, orange eyes.

"Why don't you think it will work?" She asked; her voice cracked from age.

He whipped his head toward them, ready to defend his beliefs. "They're just kits! What it they're attacked before they discover the prophecy? What if they crack under pressure?" Firestar looked flustered as he carried on. "Why can't we choose cats that are already warriors?"

The old gray she-cat let out a sigh and avoided the ginger tom's gaze.

Bluestar answered in the gray cat's stead. "You're upset that all the clan's hard work in the past is going to be wasted on this prophecy. You feel like you went through all that pain for nothing." Her eyes narrowed. "Am I right?"

Firestar was at a loss of words at the sudden accusation. "That's not true!" he protested weakly.

Bluestar's blue eyes were slits as she went on. "I'm glad. Because no one is ever going to forget what happened." Her eyes clouded with memory for a brief moment. "And no one is going to forget you. Not for a long time."

The older she-cat stepped in. "Firestar, we cannot change what is going to happen." rasped the she-cat with a grave voice. "This is the destiny of the clans. Don't try to change it."

Firestar's eyes slid from the pool, then the she-cats, then back to the pool. Finally, as if admitting defeat, he let out a long sigh.

"What do you think the three will think of this?" asked Firestar; his voice sounded strangled, as if the words were being forced out.

Both she-cats stared at him, the older gray one speaking up. "They don't need to know just yet." She told him, eyes blazing.

Firestar looked at the old she-cat with doubt flickering in his gaze. "But Yellowfang…" Then the words died on his tongue, as he had given up on the conversation.

Yellowfang let out a frustrated sigh, and turned on her heel; she began to walk away. "We will discuss this more later." she called back over her shoulder, before disappearing into the starry forest, leaving Bluestar and Firestar alone once again.

The blue-gray she-cat turned her head back to face the flaming ginger tom; their eyes met. "You should understand more than anyone, Firestar." She whispered to him. Firestar's only response was a twitch of his ear.

The eldest of the two leaders paused before speaking again. "I remember when I brought you into the clan. And I don't regret it one bit. I never have and never will."

She held his gaze, looking like she wanted to say more, but abruptly looked away; instead, she stood up, excusing herself quietly, before following the path to where Yellowfang had gone.

Alone once again in the vast meadow, Firestar simply glanced down at the pool. The reflection of the family inside was gradually fading away, and he refused to take his eyes off of it until it was completely gone.

The happy image eventually disappeared, darkness taking its place.


	3. Rainpaw: The Start

**K.A.K: Woohoo, Chapter One! Thank you for the reviews, and we hope you enjoy! (^_^)**

**By the way, we will post each Saturday, unless we get more reviews then we planned (we'll update early if that happens, like this chapter)!**

**And to _monkeyCsaw, _thank you for the wonderful review! We've listened to your advice and have fixed the error ;_)_ **

** Also, to answer your question _Mayu-Mayuni_, the chapters basically look like a long column of words (no paragraphs) and small grammar errors before I edit them (because my partners are lazy :P).**

**Erin and Silver-chan: Oi!**

**K.A.K: Just kidding! But l****ike stated above, just small grammar errors. However, if there is a major thing that needs changing, we will discuss it and do what's best for the flow of the story (since we are all very acquainted). But you know, the long column of words thing wasn't _really _a lie-**

**Erin: *covers K.A.K's mouth* Begin the story!**

**Also, this (below) will be the disclaimer for the entire story.**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Warriors. It was created by Erin Hunter and we are not making profit off of this whatsoever. It is just for entertainment.**

* * *

_**Written By: Erin**_

_**Edited By: K.A.K**_

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**Chapter 1**

The sky was still dark despite being morning. It was early, but Rainpaw was determined to hunt, no matter how tired she felt. She wanted to please Darkcloud, her mentor, with her first mouse kill. Rainpaw kept her ears pricked for any sudden noises. Her eyes were wide, scanning the bushes that surrounded her. Then suddenly, a warm scent filled her nose; her mouth watered. Rainpaw instantly got into crouching position. _The scent is mouse_, she thought excitedly.

The apprentice opened her mouth and tasted the air again to find the location of the small furry creature. Her stomach growled with hunger, but she knew that the clan must be fed first. Slowly, she began to stalk forward, but froze when a flash of fur raced past her; she glanced toward where the flash of fur had gone. There it was, less than a couple mouse-tails away; a mouse nibbling on a seed, unaware of the young cat eyeing it. Rainpaw swallowed, her body shuddering with anticipation. But just as she began to move, her stomach growled; holding her breath, she hoped desperately that the mouse hadn't heard her.

Thankfully, the mouse didn't seem to notice and continued to nibble on the seed. The young she-cat dared to let out a small breath of relief. She then resumed her slow stalk. She was downwind of the mouse, so it would not be able to smell her and run off, leaving her with nothing to bring back to camp; Rainpaw hoped Darkcloud would be pleased if she _did _catch it. Taking one deep breath, Rainpaw bunched up her muscles, and pushed hard on her haunches; she leaped into the air, aiming straight for the mouse.

Her actions, however, caused leaves and dust to billow out around her, making it hard to see. The mouse tried to run to the safety of the bushes, but Rainpaw was already on top of it. She swiftly hooked it with her sharp claws, feeling the body go limp. Slowly lifting her paw, she checked to make sure it was dead.

Rainpaw bent over and sniffed it. _It's dead alright_, Rainpaw mentally cheered. Feeling proud of herself, she picked up the prey in her jaws; this was the first time she had killed a mouse. She just had to tell her sister, Silverpaw!

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**~oOOo~**

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When she arrived at camp, most of the cats were still asleep. Rainpaw looked around the camp. The only cats up were the dawn patrol, which were getting ready to depart; within the patrol were Burntface, Floodsplash, Frogpad, and Striketail. In front of them was her father, the deputy of the clan, Stormysky. The dark gray tom turned his head to her as she set her catch on the fresh-kill pile.

"Did you catch that?" He asked, walking up to her. Rainpaw turned to face him. She nodded, and his sky blue eyes lit up at the thought of his kit catching her first piece of fresh-kill. "That's great news. Why don't you go tell your mother? I know she would be glad to hear of your first mouse." He purred, looking over towards the nursery.

Rainpaw's eyes gleamed. "You think so?"

The clan deputy let out another throaty purr. "Why don't you go find out?" Stormysky gave a twitch of his whiskers, before turning and walking off.

Rainpaw stood still, thinking. Her mother might still be asleep with her new kit; she didn't want to wake them. The gray tabby eventually decided that she would go visit once she knew they were awake. Rainpaw's mother, Puddlesplash, had moved back into the nursery soon after Rainpaw became an apprentice; she now had one, healthy kit.

The young apprentice watched as the dawn patrol left; she couldn't help but wonder which border they would be patrolling. _They're probably going to the WindClan border. With all the tension between them and Thunderclan, they would most likely want to send out many patrols there._ _And it's all Loudpaw and his litter-mates fault_, Rainpaw thought, wrinkling her nose with displeasure at the memory of the day Loudpaw, Flashpaw, and Brightpaw had come back into camp, followed by Shimmertail.

The warrior had caught them fighting with a WindClan patrol. They had chased a rabbit over into their territory and refused to give it up once they had killed it; it was a good thing Shimmertail had been there. Of course, they had gotten no punishment, for they were the kits of the clan leader, Lightningstar. It wasn't fair and the whole clan knew it. The thought made Rainpaw angry. _Now we might have to battle with Windclan thanks to them. They should have been with their mentors_!

Shaking her head, she turned and headed to the apprentices den. Even before she poked her head inside, Rainpaw could hear her sister's soft snoring. When she entered, she found that she was not the only one up early; sitting up in his nest was Loudpaw. The ginger and white tom looked up from licking his paw to stare at her.

"Where have you been?" He asked, a questioning look in his eyes.

Rainpaw narrowed her amber eyes. "Out hunting for the clan." She replied, words icy calm.

Silence followed her words, but it soon broken at the sound of shuffling. Rainpaw looked down by her paws, only to see a silver tabby she-cat curled up in a nest. Amused, the tabby poked the she-cat's side with her front paw.

"Wake up, Silverpaw." Rainpaw whispered, setting her head on her sister's shoulder. When she tried again, Silverpaw merely shrugged her off; Rainpaw frowned.

She moved her face closer to her sister's and whispered in a low, urgent voice, "Silverpaw, WindClan is attacking camp!"

As soon as the words slipped from her lips, her sister swiftly stood up in her nest, back arched and fur bristling. Rainpaw covered her mouth with a paw, trying to contain her laughter; unfortunately, she was doing a terrible job of it. Silverpaw's ears twitched at the sound; she turned to face her sister with a serious expression. Her fur now smooth and muscles now relaxed, the silver she-cat was able to comprehend what had just happened.

"That's not funny!" She snarled.

Rainpaw was taken aback by her sister's aggression, but nonetheless, narrowed her eyes in mischief. "It was to me."

Silverpaw ignored her, simply slinking back into her nest and curling up.

"Well, someone is grumpy this morning." Scoffed Rainpaw.

Her sibling lifted her head, looking a little guilty. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude; I know you were only playing. It's just that I don't like waking up in the morning, being told the camp is being attacked!" Silverpaw sneered at the end, and Rainpaw instantly felt bad.

"How else was I supposed to wake you up?" She protested weakly.

Silverpaw stared at her for a moment, before stating, "What do you want, Rainpaw?"

Dismissing the scorn in her sister's meow, Rainpaw explained how she had caught a mouse that morning; Silverpaw kept a look of surprise on her face during the whole story. When the story was over, Rainpaw stared at her Silverpaw, waiting to see what she would say.

Finally, her sister spoke up. "I'm very proud of you." The silver tabby purred, eyes sparkling.

"Are you sure you're not… jealous?" Rainpaw hesitated. Shock adorned Silverpaw's face.

"Why would I be jealous? I'm happy for you." Silverpaw meowed sweetly; Rainpaw looked away. She was proud of Silverpaw's praise, it made her happy; but the fact that she had actually been hoping that her sister _would_ get jealous made the gray she-cat feel queasy inside.

"What did you catch?" Silverpaw suddenly asked, grumpy mood gone.

Rainpaw swished her tail indignantly. "I thought I told you, I caught a mouse. Were you even listening to the story?" She lifted her head in the air, unable to stop the feeling of pride swelling up in her chest.

Silverpaw opened her mouth to say more, but suddenly, Brightpaw bounced up right in between them; Rainpaw drew back in alarm. When she did so, she bumped into Flashpaw, who had entered the den. At the sudden contact, he turned and reared up on her; she raced to the other side when his fur brushed up against hers.

When she recovered, she glanced up, only to see the other apprentices' eyes on her.

"Ah…" The gray tabby she-cat muttered awkwardly, ears flat. "Sorry, but he touched me. I don't want a troublemaker's scent on my fur." Not exactly processing the impact of her words, Rainpaw bent her head down to give her chest fur a small lick. She looked back up, only to see them all staring at her blankly. "What?"

"What's my brother?" Brightpaw let out a slight hiss, fur bristling. "Repeat that, I dare you!"

Rainpaw flicked her ears. "Well, someone has a fur-ball stuck somewhere."

Brightpaw scowled and bunched up her muscles, ready to pounce on Rainpaw, but Flashpaw moved in front of her. "What do you think you're doing?" The pale ginger cat asked her brother, confused. "Did you not hear what she called you?"

"I did hear, but she's right." Flashpaw responded. "There might be a battle with ThunderClan and WindClan thanks to us!" His voice cracked slightly and he paused to clear his throat; his ginger fur bristled ever-so slightly. "Besides, we shouldn't turn on each other in a time like this."

"But you're the one that started it! You're the one who didn't want to give up that rabbit!" Loudpaw mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear. Flashpaw glared at his brother, who resumed his grooming and paid no mind.

Before the discussion could go any further, Rainpaw heard a cat call her from outside the den. Hoping to escape the fight breaking loose, she scrambled her way out into the clearing. Her eyes searched around, looking for the cat that had called her. Moments later did she spot a familiar dark gray pelt sitting in front of the fresh-kill pile; she began to run towards them.

"Darkcloud!" Called Rainpaw, coming up next to her mentor. "Did you call me?"

The dark gray tom turned to her with dark eyes, and instead of answering her question, lashed his tail and gestured towards her mouse on the fresh-kill pile.

"You caught this?" Asked the tom, eyes never moving away from the mouse.

"Yes! I woke up early to catch it for you." Rainpaw chirped, excitement clear in her words. But Darkcloud didn't reply; rather he pawed at the mouse, and after a few moments, turned to her. The apprentice blinked up at him, waiting for him to speak; her fur bristled in anticipation.

"Well?" She asked, now impatient; his eyes narrowed at her tone.

"Today we will practice running." The gray tom informed her in a monotone voice, not even waiting to see if she was following before he strode off.

Reluctantly, Rainpaw followed through the gorse tunnel. _Was he not proud of me?_ Her tail drooped at the thought; she was always trying to please him, but no matter how hard she tried, it never seemed to work.

Only when they entered the forest did Rainpaw realize she couldn't remember what their training was going to be about. "What are we doing again?" Rainpaw wondered aloud.

Darkcloud stopped to look at her, twitching slightly. "I told you, we are practicing your running." His voice was laced with irritation; the apprentice simply brushed it off.

"Running?" She echoed.

"Yes, running. WindClan cats are not the only ones that run fast." Then he turned and resumed his walk. Rainpaw let out a huff of frustration, but trailed after her mentor anyways.

Eventually they reached a small clearing; it was surrounded by thick undergrowth, with ash trees scattered all around. Rainpaw stood still, taking in the area.

"How am I going to run with all the undergrowth here?" She asked, bewildered. Her mentor said nothing, merely staring at her with blank, expressionless eyes; Rainpaw kneaded the ground impatiently at this. Darkcloud noticed this and turned to directly face the light gray tabby apprentice. Her tail twitched as she waited for him to speak.

"The best warrior can run anywhere. No matter the area." His voice was filled with the wisdom of experience, as he _was_ one of the senior warriors after all.

"But don't warriors fight their enemies, not run away from them?" Rainpaw tilted her head to the side, eyes bright with curiosity.

"You don't always fight. That's not all there is to being a warrior," He told her calmly. "Besides, it will help with your hunting skills- as well as other things- in the future."

Rainpaw, still not satisfied with the answer given, waited for her mentor's instructions. The dark gray tom moved closer to Rainpaw, their faces only a mouse-length apart; his warm breath billowed out onto her. His dark eyes scanned her, as if reading her every thought; the tabby backed up, alarmed.

"If you want to be a good warrior, you will be able to run at your fullest speed no matter the obstacle." Darkcloud emphasized, sitting down in the spot where Rainpaw had been moments before.

"Why do I need to learn this again?" Rainpaw muttered bitterly, but instantly felt bad when she saw her mentor's ears twitch; he must have heard her! _Rainpaw you mouse-brain_. The young she-cat scolded herself, looking away from her mentor; she was afraid to look up and see hurt flashing in the tom's eyes.

When nothing happened, she looked up hesitantly; he stared back at her.

"If we do fight with WindClan," Darkcloud suddenly began. "We'll need to be able to match their speed; that way we have an even higher advantage. Especially if we fought on their territory; we would still be able to match their speed and know how to defend ourselves on unknown land."

Rainpaw looked up at her mentor, her amber eyes gleaming.

"Now, that's enough talking. We should get started on your training." The dark gray cat paused and looked up at the sky. The sun was up now and the green-leaf warmth beat down on their pelts. "We are wasting daylight." Once he finished, he walked over to stand in front of Rainpaw again. He loomed over her, casting a long shadow and blocking the sunlight. "Shall we get started?"

The apprentice nodded vigorously. A mixture of slight doubt and hesitation flickered in Darkcloud's gaze; but only for a moment. Before Rainpaw could debate with herself if it was actually real or not, the warrior nudged her and gestured over to their side. The she-cat turned her head in the same direction and saw a thick patch of undergrowth. Her eyes widened as she spotted clusters of bramble thickets.

"I have to run through there?" Rainpaw looked up at her mentor, nervous; Darkcloud simply nodded. Gulping, Rainpaw stepped forward a few paces, until she reached the middle of the clearing; she looked back at her mentor, hoping for encouragement, but only received a blank stare.

Rainpaw sighed inwardly, and then turned back towards the undergrowth. The sun seemed to be against her, beating down on her and making her fur hot and sticky; it was an awful feeling. (The heat of the day made every cat feel terrible of course, not just Rainpaw.)

When she reached the dense undergrowth she stopped and inhaled deeply. _I can do this, _the she-cat chanted. _I can do this._

Then, she heard a loud meow from across the clearing. "I want you to run through the undergrowth until you reach the lake; no stopping. I will be observing you. Let's just hope you don't trip and fall, I wouldn't want my apprentice to get hurt." His voice was monotone and simple; Rainpaw twisted her head backwards and blinked at him.

"Well, don't just stand there!" He demanded suddenly. "Run!"

Taking one last deep breath, Rainpaw bunched up her muscles and prepared to take off. _It's just running,_ Rainpaw told herself. _How hard could it be?_

She raised her haunches, leaned against the ground, and then sprang back up and into the undergrowth. Luckily, she landed in a small patch with no thorns or roots, but the vegetation still surrounded her on all sides; she couldn't even see through all of it! Rainpaw looked at the scenery around her warily, and then with a jolt, remembered that she was supposed to be running.

Swiftly, she made her way under a thick hazel bush, the small branches of it grabbing at her fur. The young she-cat could only grit her teeth and bear it. Pushing on, she made her way into another area, also surrounded by undergrowth; Rainpaw was starting to feel a little lost.

Narrowing her eyes with determination, she wriggled under some holly bushes and found herself in what seemed to be a tunnel made of thorns. Frightened, the tabby backed up; the thorns were large, black, sharp, and practically everywhere.

_I have to keep running_, Rainpaw insisted, trying to shake her head of all her fear; eventually, she took off. She ran straight through the thorn tunnel, the dangerous points digging into her fur. It took all her willpower not to shriek in pain.

The apprentice wasn't sure how long she had been running, but kept on anyway; Rainpaw wanted to please her mentor, no matter what it took. As she continued, the undergrowth seemed to get less dense; it was suddenly much easier to slide by the thorns and bushes. Feeling proud, the she-cat sped up. It seemed as if she could run without hesitation, like there were no real obstacles.

Suddenly, it occurred to the tabby that she no idea when the trail would end. Then she re-called Darkcloud's words, "I want you to run through the undergrowth until you reach the lake; no stopping. I will be observing you."

Slowing down, but keeping a steady pace, Rainpaw lifted her nose to the air. She sniffed for the scent of the lake, but to no avail. All she could scent was the different smells of undergrowth. Frustrated, Rainpaw focused on the rest of what her mentor had said. _Is he really observing me?_ Rainpaw wondered, looking around for any sign of him as she walked around.

Then, she noticed up ahead there was a bright light shining through the shrubbery. Delight welled up in Rainpaw; she was almost to the end! The she-cat began to race towards it, but tripped over a straying ivy tendril and fell face first onto the dusty ground. Lifting up her head, Rainpaw spat and stood up, shaking her fur; clumps of dust were sent flying. She bent down and licked her chest fur a couple of times, before she straightened and kept going.

When she reached the exit, the sunlight hit her and she shriveled back into the undergrowth. Her eyes narrowed. The apprentice had been in there a while, so she had to get used to the light of day again. After composing herself and adjusting to the light, Rainpaw stepped out into the forest again. The young cat's eyes scanned her surroundings carefully, but there was still no sign of her mentor.

Leaving the undergrowth, she hoped that she would never have to enter there again. But knowing that she was a Thunderclan cat, she was going to have to get used to it. Heaving a sigh, the gray tabby she-cat walked onward; her ears were straight up, listening for a sound. Her gaze trailed along the tree-line, until she was now facing toward the WindClan border.

Surprised, Rainpaw walked up to it; the stench of WindClan suddenly filled her nose, however, so she had to take a step back. Looking around, she realized that where she was, was nowhere near the lake.

Rainpaw let out a sigh and plopped down where she stood. She simply lied there, too tired to scent the air for any WindClan cats.

_It doesn't matter_, Rainpaw told herself absent-mindedly. _I'm not on their territory anyway, so they can't do anything to me._ Still, she hoped that no cats would come by and bother her.

As time passed by, Rainpaw's amber eyes started to droop; eventually, she dozed off. A warm green-leaf breeze tugged at her light gray fur; it was still very hot, but the breeze from WindClan territory made it feel much nicer. The apprentice was grateful that is wasn't leaf-bare.

After along moment, the she-cat's flank began to rise up and down in a steady rhythm, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Now in the world of dreams, Rainpaw couldn't help but feel that absolutely _nothing_ could disturb her peace.

* * *

**K.A.K: Look forward to my chapter next week!**

**Erin: Hey...**

**K.A.K: Hm?**

**Erin: *grabs K.A.K's shoulders* You know that I'm just a_ tad bit_ lazy, right? That's why when I send you the draft, there are no paragraphs.**

**K.A.K: Ah, well, I believe it's just an excuse that you use often to- Ow! You hit me!**

**Erin: ...**

**K.A.K: Silver, help me!**

**Silver-chan: Review or K.A.K will get it!**

**K.A.K: Oi, don't listen to her! Anways...Please Review and tell us what you think- Gah! Erin, you're choking me _I-I'mdyingErinstopstopithurts_-**

_***-This line has been disconnected-***_


	4. Derby: Stay Awhile

**K.A.K: Chapter 2, my chapter! And we'd like to thank our readers/reviewers for sticking with us! Please enjoy!**

**Erin: Why don't you have an edit?**

**K.A.K: Because I edit it myself, duh. I'm the official Editor, even though there _are _some grammar mistakes (things I miss when I look over it). (^~^) Moving on!**

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_**Written by: K.A.K**_

_**/No Edit/**_

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**Chapter Two**

A brown she-cat blinked open her bleary eyes slowly, struggling to take in her surroundings. She was laying on something hard and cold…Oh, the barn floor. Standing up and stretching, the cat looked up at the sun peering in from outside. She couldn't tell exactly, but her brother had taught her that if the sun was high up in the sky, then that meant it was time to eat. _Where is he anyway?_ She thought. _Oh, what does it matter, I'm hungry._

She meowed happily, moving from her sleeping place and trotting over to the area the Twolegs had set their food. Small mice scattered as she passed by. The Twolegs at the Horseplace were nice to her and gave her free food, so she decided keeping rodents away was a small price to pay (but the she-cat was never really able to kill one, the fast suckers). She had almost made it to her bowl before something rammed into her side. She and the lump of fur were sent tumbling across the dirt.

"Jet!" she hissed irritably, swiping at her brother once they had stopped rolling. "You fat oaf, get off!"

The gray and white tom's whiskers twitched, like he was holding in his amusement. Almost reluctantly, he slid off of her. "What's wrong, Derby? Still sleeping?"

Derby flicked her tail before walking back over to her food. "I just woke up, mind you. And where have you been? There's dirt on your paws!"

The reply was casual. "I was out in the woods."

Derby's reaction was not. "Excuse you? Why did you go out there by yourself? You told me you'd take me with you!"

"You were asleep, mind you." He mocked her.

She huffed, green eyes darkening ever so slightly. "Whatever, just let me eat. When I'm done, I'm going to visit Lucy."

"Oh, Lucy!" Jet said, delighted. "Her kits will be here anytime, you know! After all, Romeo-"

"Don't talk to me about that mouse dung." Derby spat suddenly; Jet drew back. "He's a scumbag player and got Lucy pregnant. I hate him."

"Oh, yeah." He apologized sheepishly. "Sorry."

The she-cat ignored her brother out of spite and dipped her head down to take a few angry bites of the pet food. It was rough and dry as it slid down her throat, making her cringe. "Ugh, please tell me you caught a mouse."

The tom flicked his tail and shrugged sadly. "Not this time, sorry."

"Hm." She hummed, disappointed, and then slipped past the open barn door. "I'm going to see Lucy now," she called behind her back. "Make sure the mice don't mess up the barn again."

"Sure thing." Jet called back.

Satisfied with his answer, Derby continued her journey across the Horseplace and to the Twoleg house, eager to see her best friend again.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

"-and that's how Jet ended up in the creek." Derby concluded as Lucy stifled a 'mrrow' of laughter.

"I always thought Jet was a reckless one." Lucy told the brown she-cat, giving her black fur a few licks. "But really, provoking a horse? He's lucky he's alive."

"Hm." Derby hummed in agreement. She and Lucy were sitting on the porch of the Twoleg house. While Lucy continued to laugh, the she-cat couldn't help but take a glance at her friend's round belly. _Pregnant,_ she thought, uncertainty rising up in her chest. _Will Lucy be able to handle it? She's my age; we're both so young! What if Romeo comes back and doesn't want the kits? I swear I'll rip him apart, the stupid-_

"You excited too?" Lucy's amused voice jolted Derby back into reality. The cat flattened her ears against her head. She had been staring too long!

"Yeah," she admitted, panicking inwardly. "A bit."

"It's okay." The black she-cat soothed. "I was just wondering if you felt happy for me."

"Yeah, I do. Just…they're Romeo's."

"Oh," Lucy sighed dramatically, swishing her tail back and forth playfully. "The 'scumbag player' who has gifted me with the wonderful curse of kits."

Derby held back a smile as Lucy continued. "Whatever shall I do with these wretched things? Perhaps I'll leave them out in the rain or feed them to the horses! Or better yet, I can kill them the minute they're born."

The brown she-cat began to worry about her friend now. "You better not be serious," she warned. "Just because that sorry excuse for a tom gave them to you, doesn't mean you have to be bitter about it."

Her best friend shot her a smug look, and Derby froze in realization. She groaned. "Ah, geez. You're making me use my words against myself."

"That's what best friends do," Lucy sang lightly, lifting her tail up to whack Derby in the face. "They straighten things out and help them."

"Yeah, thanks for that." Then the she-cat visibly brightened. "And as a thank you, how about I go catch you a mouse?"

The tail flicking her stopped. "You can't, Derby. The Twolegs will notice."

"But Jet always goes!"

"Because they... trust him."

"Oh," Derby meowed sarcastically. "And they don't trust me."

"Not exactly." Lucy admitted.

Derby countered back. "Then if they don't trust me, why would they care?"

"Derby-"

"Mouse!" she meowed loudly, standing up and stretching. "I'm going to catch Lucy a mouse!"

"Derby, no!"

The brown cat ignored her, stepping off of the porch and walking in the direction of a large clump of trees. "Stay here, Lucy. I'll be back with proper food for you, not those gross rabbit pellets."

"I like those pellets!" Lucy struggled to stand up, her limbs shaking under the effort. "Ugh, stop! Come back here right now!"

"Nope~!" Derby sang, before bunching up her muscles. "See you in a few!"

The tension in her legs loosened, and she took off, the shrubbery around her passing in a blur.

Lucy's angry yowl rang clearly into the sky behind her.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Derby crouched into a hunting position, eyeing the mouse about five mouse-tails ahead of her.

_Haha, _She licked her lips, teeth glinting. _Looks great. Maybe if I do catch it, Lucy will share it with me. _

Suddenly, the mouse's head whipped up, dropping the seed it had been nibbling on.

_What? _The she-cat panicked as it scurried away. _It couldn't have seen me! I was downwind!_

"Stop!" she shrieked out loud, chasing after the rodent.

It was a fast one, she had to admit. It easily slid through all the brush and shrubbery, while Derby stumbled, eventually deciding to just destroy everything in her path halfway. Thorns ripped at her fur, branches were hitting her back, and the roots beneath her paws made her trip slightly every so often.

"Mouse dung!" she yowled angrily, willing her legs to go faster. "Get back here!"

And then her face hit the dirt.

Dust billowed around her, and she had to blink her eyes rapidly to clear them. When it all faded away, she tried to evaluate her situation. The she-cat was lying upside down on the forest floor, one of her back feet tangled by some uprooted tree roots. Her fur was matted down with dust and sweat, making her cringe in disgust. It wasn't like she never got dirty, but- Ugh, was there a _bug _in her fur?

Derby wriggled desperately, tail swishing in agitation. "There's a bug or worm in my fur oh mouse dung it's moving I can feel it- Stupid root _let me go_!"

She jerked her foot one last time, breathing a sigh of relief when the vegetation trapping her broke under the pressure. Moments passed as she caught her breath, before finally making a move again. The brown cat stood up on shaky legs, surveying the forest around her warily. Her foot still throbbed, but besides that she was fine. The mouse was nowhere in sight; it must have escaped.

Derby let out a slight hiss, whining in frustration. "Now Lucy's going to tell me I told you so!" She moaned. "Stupid mouse, stupid forest. Stupid, stupid, stupi-"

Her speech halted abruptly as an unfamiliar smell overwhelmed her. _Cats, _she realized, shocked. _Lots and lots of cats._

"What do you think you're doing?" A voice growled behind her.

Derby yelped in pain as sharp claws suddenly dug into her back. In sheer panic, she whirled around and lashed out. Lunging at her attacker, her teeth sunk into their skin.

"Fox dung!" they hissed furiously at her, batting the side of her head. Derby was sent rolling. "Are you one of ThunderClan? How dare you pass after showing us such disrespect yesterday morning?"

"What?" the brown she-cat squeaked; her head was throbbing painfully. "What's ThunderClan?"

"Don't lie ThunderClan scum!" A gray tabby she-cat hissed, baring her fangs. "Get out of WindClan territory!"

"But-"

"_Out!_"

Suddenly the cat was on top of her, hissing and spitting into her face.

"Junipershade!" A pale brown tabby growled. "Stand down!"

"Quiet, Snakefang!" Junipershade hissed to her companion. "Being leader of patrol does not give you the right to order me around! Meadowpaw, come help me tear this filth to scraps."

Seeing a small tortoiseshell approaching, Derby yowled and lifted her back legs. With a sudden surge of strength, she kicked up, landing a direct blow to the she-cat's stomach.

As the other cat fell back, hissing with pain, Derby scurried to her feet and turned tail. _Got to get away! _She began to run through the underbrush blindly. _I have to get back to Jet and Lucy!_

A loud meow sounded from behind her. "I'll go teach that stupid cat a lesson!"

The voice of Snakefang added, "We all will."

_They're chasing me! _Derby picked up the speed.

_Almost there, almost…Almost where? How do I even know the barn is this way? _She began to slow down, doubt gnawing at her belly.

"_No!_" A voice hissed into her ear, making her flinch. "_You're almost there, keep going! You'll be safe, just keep running!_"

She was suspicious, but listened to the voice anyways. Propelling her legs once again, Derby ran, dust biting at her feet. She swerved all sorts of directions, doing what the voice instructed her.

"_Hurry, they're behind you!_"

The she-cat could hear the WindClan cats gaining on her, branches and twigs snapping under the weight of their paws. Leaning forward, Derby's speed began to steadily increase until her paws barely touched the earth beneath; the wind blew through her fur. It was like flying, she realized.

Then the sensation stopped; she hit the ground once again, paws skidding to find hold.

Junipershade's angry meow sounded behind her. "And stay out!"

Those three words made all the difference. "They're not following me anymore," Derby breathed happily. "They've stopped." But something told her she needed to keep running; instinct, she insisted. That's what it was.

Just to be sure, she glanced back. The group of cats had stopped by a few ways back, glaring angrily at her.

"Haha!" she laughed aloud before she could stop herself, and began to run faster. "Take that you bags of fur. Whoo!"

Then the moment of joy abruptly ended as she tripped once again, face planting into the dirt.

"For the love of squirrels," Derby spluttered, sprawled out on the ground. "How many times will I trip today?"

Then the thing under her moved. The brown cat stilled, holding her breath. _A cat, oh great, I tripped over a cat._

The warm body beneath her suddenly jolted, shooting out from under her, before sitting atop her chest.

"Heavy," she wheezed quietly.

"Who are you?"

"Hm?" Peering up at the cat above her, Derby could tell that their frame was small, like hers. And judging by their voice, they were female. Their pelt shone silver in the sunlight, but wasn't exactly silver? She squinted, trying to get a better look.

"Who are you?" The silver(?) cat repeated, their fur sticking out in all directions. _She looks a lot like me right now, _Derby realized. "Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same question." Derby couldn't help but let the snarky side of her slip through; her lip curled in amusement. "Why were you sleeping out here?"

"N-none of your business, trespasser! So there!" The cat appeared to be flustered.

"Eh, sorry." The brown she-cat apologized awkwardly. "But in my defense, I really don't know what you're talking about."

"You're on ThunderClan territory."

"Thunderclan?" Derby's ears perked up at the familiar name. "Like what those 'WindClan' cats were spouting nonsense about?"

The pressure on the she-cat's chest lessened. "You met WindClan Warriors?"

"I was in their territory, apparently." Derby admitted sheepishly. "Now, could you please get off of me? I can't breathe."

The she-cat let out a sigh as the other cat slid off of her; now that she was eye to eye with her, it appeared her fur was really a light gray. Odd. "Sorry," The cat apologized sincerely, licking her chest nervously. "Say, er…"

"Derby."

"Derby." The tabby nodded. "I'm Rainpaw. Can you tell me why you're here?"

"I was going to catch a mouse for my friend, Lucy."

"Lucy…" Rainpaw had a thoughtful look on her face, before realization settled in. "Wait, are you from the Horseplace? My dad used to go there a lot!"

"Was his name Stormysky?" Derby flicked her ears happily, thinking back to the fun cat that had visited very often.

"Yeah! How did you know?"

The Horseplace cat swished her tail proudly. "He was a good friend of my father."

"That's awesome! You know-"

"Rainpaw!"

Both cats jumped at the new voice. Derby bristled, but Rainpaw ducked her head in embarrassment. "That's my mentor, Darkcloud." She told Derby in a whisper. "He's probably looking for me." She raised her voice. "I'm over here, Darkcloud!"

"Wait!" Derby panicked. "What about me?"

Rainpaw froze, as if she had just remembered. "Uh…"

"You didn't consider it?"

"…"

The brown cat wailed angrily. "Rainpaw!"

"Rainpaw?" Darkcloud's voice was getting closer, now carrying a suspicious edge to it. "Is someone there with you? I smell another cat's scent."

The tabby's words were incoherent. "Um, ah, er, well- wait…"

"Ugh!" Derby ducked to hide, but before she could even get her head in the designated bush that she had picked out, a dark gray tom stepped out of the shrubbery.

He eyed the brown she-cat, baring his teeth. "Rainpaw," he hissed, hackles raised. "Who is this?"

Rainpaw's answer was a mumble.

"Louder." The tom growled.

Rainpaw licked her chest fur, ears slightly down. "This is Derby," she muttered quietly. "A cat from the Horseplace."

Slowly, Darkcloud settled down. "I see..." He contemplated, observing Derby up and down. The she-cat shifted awkwardly. "Tell me what happened."

Derby explained her side of the story, while Rainpaw shared hers in a rush.

A brief moment of silence passed before Rainpaw's mentor nodded firmly. "We're taking her back to camp as a hostage."

Rainpaw tilted her head at him in confusion. "Eh? Hostage?"

"She trespassed on WindClan _and _ThunderClan territory. We're taking her back so she won't cause trouble; we also need to inform Lightningstar."

"Wait!" Derby blurted, causing both clan cats to turn to her. "I have a home and family and friends back at the Horseplace! I can't leave them!"

Darkcloud regarded her calmly, while Rainpaw stood behind him, frantically shaking her head. "Just come with us," she mouthed silently to the brown she-cat. "Or else he'll use force. Trust me."

Taking the words into consideration, Derby huffed quietly, eyes narrowed. "Fine." She muttered reluctantly. "I guess I could stay awhile."

The large gray tom nodded in satisfaction, before beckoning her closer with his tail. "Come along now, hostage. We will escort you back to our clan."

Derby quickly nodded, ignoring Rainpaw's sympathetic glance as they led her through the undergrowth.

And it was then, Derby realized, as they continued to push her forward, that she had never caught the mouse she promised to Lucy.

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**K.A.K: Please Review! (^.^) We'll be back soon with a new chapter!**

**Erin: Silver's chapter!**

**Silver-chan: *waves* 'Sup.**

**K.A.K: See ya next week! *salutes***


	5. Silverpaw: Gatherings

**K.A.K: Chapter 3 is here, along with the star of the show, Silver-chan!**

***silence***

**K.A.K: Eh? She's not here!**

**Silver-chan: No, I'm here.**

**K.A.K: Gah! Don't sneak up on me like that!**

**Silver-chan: I've been here the whole time! O_o And thanks to our lovley reviewers, we don't have to hit you anymore.**

**Erin: Hey! That was a one time thing, and I only hit her once (if we ignore the strangulation...)!**

**K.A.K: Ahem, well, now that that's solved, it's your cue Silver... *nudges***

**Silver-chan: Enjoy my chapter! I know you will :D**

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_**Written By: Silver-chan**_

_**Edited by: K.A.K**_

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**Chapter 3**

Silverpaw shook herself awake, glittering golden sunlight streaming in through the small gaps in the bramble den where she was resting. She squinted her soft blue eyes at the brightness. Sitting up in her nest, the cat gave her white paws and chest a few groggy licks. She found that her paws, tail, muzzle and chest tended to get dirty while she slept. Well, 'found' wasn't exactly true… more like reminded by her sister, Rainpaw. Silverpaw shook out her silver tabby and white pelt once more, satisfied with her grooming. That's when Torrentfur stuck his annoying gray head in.

"Hey, Silverpaw! Glad to see you're awake! Although I'm used to you sleeping in like a kit. But I don't think Wildfire is. He's looking for you, so get your lazy tail out here, apprentice!" In a second, Silverpaw was hurtling out of the den at top speed, wide awake. She took a glance at the sky. It was almost Sunhigh! Wildfire, her mentor, was going to be furious with her! Suddenly, she spotted the nursery. _Maybe if Wildfire thinks I was in the nursery visiting Graykit, he won't punish me! I can be late if I was visiting my little sister, right? _Right_?_

She slipped into the nursery, only to be greeted by a dissatisfied hiss from Mudstream. The mottled brown queen was in the middle of grooming Hollowkit, her newest kit. Silverpaw glared stubbornly at her. She didn't need to act so high and mighty just because she was Lightningstar's mate! He was a great leader, but his mate and kits were really something else. Flashpaw and his littermates definitely took after Mudstream.

"Where's Puddlesplash?" she murmured to Mudstream.

The irritated queen looked up and hissed, "In the back of the den. Now leave me alone! I'm grooming Hollowkit. He's the only kit that looks like me, which means I have to show everyone where he gets his beautiful coat from! Go on! Scurry away and find your mother!"

Silverpaw flattened her ears and walked by, 'accidentally' flicking a bit of dirt onto Hollowkit with her tail. Ignoring Mudstream's over-dramatic wail, the silver tabby apprentice peered around the corner and spotted the pale gray queen grooming a dapple gray kit.

"Puddlesplash! Graykit! How's it going?" Puddlesplash, startled, leaped up. Silverpaw narrowly avoided a gouging to her ear.

"W-what! Puddlesplash!" She yowled. "What in the name of StarClan are you doing!" Her mother let out a slight hiss, and Silverpaw groaned. "Oh, calm down, would you? Who put dirt in your starling?" Her mother did a double-take when she realized that she almost clawed her own daughter's ear off.

"Sorry!" The pale gray she-cat apologized. "I was worried it was a ShadowClan warrior! Mudstream said they were acting suspicious at the last gathering…"

Silverpaw flattened her ears and stared skeptically at her mother. "Mudstream is feeding you a bunch of mouse-dung, you shouldn't listen to her. Anyway, I came to visit Graykit!"

The small dappled gray she-kit leaped at Silverpaw at the mention of her name. "Grrr!" She tried to growl, the noise coming out as a squeak instead. "Let's play! I want to be the warrior, you be Nightstar this time! I'm going to get you!"

Silverpaw chuckled, until she heard a low, gravelly meow from outside. "Silverpaw, come on. I know you're a late sleeper. You haven't been in here this whole time."

Silverpaw lowered her tail and backed out of the nursery, resisting the urge to claw Mudstream when the arrogant queen batted a rock towards her, sneering. Wildfire was waiting patiently outside.

"Sorry, but Rainpaw did try to wake me up this morning…" The excuse died on her tongue when her mentor simply gestured towards the camp entrance with his tail.

"We will train for battle today." He instructed.

Silverpaw nodded, and then followed the russet warrior through the hollow and out into the forest. The she-cat looked up and was instantly mesmerized by the way the sun shone through the green leaves. Robins and jays flitted from tree to tree, and her body ached with the need to leap up and sink her teeth into their warm bodies. Sensing her eagerness, Wildfire nodded at her as permission; she straightened, excited.

She stealthily scurried up a maple tree and slunk along a branch, aiming for a large and juicy-looking blackbird a bit ahead. The bird didn't even notice that the apprentice was there until it was much too late. The silver tabby leaped at the bird and sunk her claws into its neck, making for a satisfying kill.

"Lightningstar wants you to eat." Wildfire suddenly called; the she-cat looked down at her mentor with a hesitant look on her face. "You'll need the strength."

Silverpaw twitched nervously and leaped down to the ground, before tearing into her catch. Once finished, she trailed after Wildfire.

They eventually emerged through the bushes and into a mossy battle clearing. Standing at the opposite end was another Warrior of ThunderClan, Striketail. The black tom flicked his brown-and-white striped tail impatiently.

"It's about time…" he muttered, loud enough so she could hear him. Silverpaw simply rolled her eyes. _Why do I get stuck with all the annoying cats? _

She padded forward until she was staring straight at her opponent. _I've never lost in battle training before._ She mused. _But this might be a little more difficult… though I'd give anything to claw this arrogant mousebrain's tail off. Then, he'd have to be called Notail! Ha! I'm so funny. _Too focused on her fantasies, she didn't even notice her mentor calling, "Begin!" Suddenly, the tabby found herself belly up, pinned by the black-furred warrior.

"Humph. I should have known this would be too easy. You haven't even woken up yet!" The older cat taunted.

Silverpaw flattened her ears. _I'll show you not to mess with me! I'm way cooler than you are, you piece of fox dung!_

She heaved upward with her hind paws, throwing the tom off. While he lay winded, Silverpaw pounced at him; pinning him like he had done to her seconds earlier. Struggling, Striketail tried to hit her, succeeding in landing a soft blow to her flank. He then went limp beneath her, but the she-cat knew this trick well. The irritated apprentice pretended to let up, and when the black tom tried to stand up and throw her off, she slipped to his side and headbutted his ribs, knocking him down.

_Ultra-cool Silverpaw battle move number three!_ She meowed gleefully. _Ha! That sounded so cool!_

Placing a paw on his throat, it was clear that Silverpaw was the winner.

"This match goes to Silverpaw. No surprise there, I guess."

Silverpaw looked up at her mentor, having heard the faint amusement in his voice. Was that praise? Wildfire never gave praise to apprentices! _Almost as if he and Darkcloud are conspiring to make Rainpaw and I feel bad..!_ She purred happily.

Suddenly Striketail stood up, knocking the silver she-cat off; he shook himself, ridding his fur of dirt and leaves.

"Nice job, Silverpaw. That was a good match." He congratulated, almost sounding sincere.

The tabby apprentice looked at the warrior warily. _Is something going on..?_ She thought, suspicious. _Did I shout my battle move name out loud..? Maybe they think I'm crazy! Maybe that's why they're acting different! _

Striketail noticed her gawking and snapped, "What are you looking at? Just because you beat me doesn't give you the right to just sit there! Hurry up and get back to camp!"

Silverpaw snorted quietly._ So much for being acceptant… _

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

When she finally made her way into camp, Silverpaw couldn't help but notice a small red-brown she cat entering also. _Who is that?_

She strode up to the she-cat, prepared to fight off any intruders if she had to. "Who are you and what are you doing in our camp?" She asked the cat rudely.

"Ah," the cat realized she was being spoken to, and turned to face the other; she put on an odd face, and rose her voice a notch. "Hello, name's Derby. Derby the Horseplace cat. The story of why I'm in your humble home is quite funny actually. Want to hear it? Ha, of course you do."

She rushed on. "I was hunting in the forest for my friend Lucy, who you probably don't know, but then these cats from 'BreezeClan'-"

Silverpaw interrupted. "You mean WindClan?"

"Yeah," Derby laughed lowly, then flicked her black-striped tail. "I knew that, just messing with you. Though, same difference right? But ahem, moving on now. So, those cats I mentioned that were from WindClan suddenly got upset with me and chased me further into the forest; I was apparently on their 'territory'..."

She paused, and the apprentice nodded at the Horseplace cat to continue.

"Anyway, when I was running, I suddenly tripped over the gray tabby cat while she was sleeping. And then, the big gray tom behind me came out from the bushes and told me I was a prisoner of 'LightningClan'-"

"ThunderClan!"

Derby twitched at the correction, as if irritated, but quickly composed herself and regarded Silverpaw cheerfully. The silver tabby eyed her warily. What was with this cat? Something was off.

"Kidding, kidding!" Derby suddenly chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Though you know, I never did catch anything to eat..."

While the cat before her drooled, Silverpaw turned around and spotted her sister walking towards them, a mouse was clasped between her jaws. She beckoned Rainpaw over happily.

"Have you met this cat?" She asked her sister. "She said she's from the Horseplace..."

Rainpaw dropped the mouse at Derby's feet; the brown she-cat instantly scooped it up. "Yeah! She tripped over me!"

Silverpaw couldn't help but release a purr of amusement. _Of course! What other mottled gray tabby apprentice is there?_

"But hey, Derby," Rainpaw told the brown she-cat. "Darkcloud instructed me to make sure you eat. I know you were hunting for a friend, but… eat this mouse, okay? I got it from the fresh-kill pile for you."

Silverpaw then settled down with the two she cats, and started up a conversation with Rainpaw about training that day.

Her sister pouted after hearing about Wildfire's training. "Aw, Silverpaw! At least you got to do something cool! Darkcloud just told me to run to the lake. Though for something so simple, I'm not sure how I managed to end up sleeping at the WindClan border… Are you sure you aren't lying about how Striketail was nice to you, and how Wildfire praised you? Neither of those things ever happen!"

Silverpaw lifted her tail and meowed indignantly, "I'm sure! Don't worry, I was surprised too. I was about to use that insult, you know the one where you go 'Who put dirt in your starling?'"

Their 'mrrows' of laughter died down when a muscular gray tom walked up to them, twitching his whiskers.

"Stormysky!" The ThunderClan siblings cried in unison.

"Stormysky!" Derby called to the tom a few seconds late, her voice muffled by food. "It's great to see you again! How are you holding up these days?"

Stormysky simply chuckled. "I'm doing well. How's your brother?"

"Fine, I guess. Still as cheerful as ever."

He nodded at her, before turning to his kits. "Well, Rainpaw, Silverpaw. Lightningstar wants to see you both in his den."

Silverpaw pouted. "Aw, can't we just share tongues with you?"

The clan deputy shook his head. "Sorry! Just because I'm your father, doesn't mean you can ignore the leader's orders! Would you ask to share tongues with your mentors if they requested you go see Lightningstar?"

The two sisters quickly shook their heads, tails drooping in disappointment.

"Fine, we get it!" Rainpaw said somewhat reluctantly. "We'll go see Lightningstar; stay here Derby! Come on, Silverpaw!"

She darted off towards the leader's den without warning.

"Hey, wait for me!" yowled Silverpaw. She bunched her muscles and took off after. When she caught up, they ran across camp together, kicking up dust behind them and dodging around Warriors.

When they arrived at the steps to the Highledge, they found Lightningstar already waiting for them, casually flicking his tail. The white flash on his chest disappeared under the rest of his ginger fur as he stood up to greet them.

"Sorry we're late, Lightningstar! We only just found out we were supposed to meet you in your den!" Rainpaw panted.

Silverpaw nudged her sister with a white paw. "Calm down, he isn't angry," she murmured. She then spoke up loudly. "What did you need us for, Lightningstar?"

The ginger leader motioned for the apprentices to sit down. "I've been informed of the incident in the forest by Darkcloud, and I'll need you both to explain Derby's situation with me on the Highledge in a few moments. A clan meeting will be held," He explained, smiling slightly.

Silverpaw shook her head. "Why me, Lightningstar? I only just met Derby!" _And she's weird, _the silver tabby added in her mind, before berating herself for being unnecessarily rude.

The clan leader swished his tail to gesture at the camp. "You see," He told her gently. "The cats here are strangers to Derby. If you can help them understand from your point of view, they may be less hostile towards her."

It was then the apprentice noticed the cold stares her clanmates were directing towards the brown she cat. Derby didn't even see their glares, which made it worse. Understanding what needed to happen, Silverpaw nodded at her leader.

Satisfied, Lightningstar excused himself and then easily leaped onto the Highledge. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join together for a clan meeting under the Highledge," He called. The clan slowly trickled out of their dens and congregated in the small clearing below the Highledge.

Stormysky took the deputy's place just below Lightningstar; he flicked his tail in acknowledgement at the two apprentices before turning back to listen to the news.

"As most of you know," The ginger tom began, "Today we have brought home a brown furred she-cat. Her name is Derby. For you to understand why she is here, I will leave our oldest apprentices to share their experiences with Derby."

He nodded towards Silverpaw and Rainpaw, then scooted back to allow them room on the Highledge. Rainpaw went first, managing to scrabble onto the ledge, much to the amusement of the clan. _I want to look as cool as Lightningstar did when he jumped up there,_ thought Silverpaw. _After all, someday I want to be Silverstar, the greatest leader of Thunderclan there ever was! I'm going to jump for it!_

She readied herself on the small step. Bunching her hind legs and closing her eyes, she leaped for the Highledge. The wind rustled her fur. _This is awesome!_ The she-cat cheered inwardly. _Someday, this is going to be as easy as battle practice!_

It suddenly occurred to Silverpaw that she had underestimated the length to the Highlegde; her eyes opened wide as her paws hit the ground with a solid thud. The breath was forced out of her, and she dully became aware of a burning pain in her spine.

Her face planted into the dry dirt, Silverpaw let a few moments go by to regain her composure. She eventually managed to groan out, "I'm fine, everyone! It's okay."

Striketail, the nearest warrior, snapped out of his brief shock and nudged her to her feet. "You sure, Silverpaw?" he asked gruffly, leaning his face closer to hers to get a better look.

Silverpaw, a bit dizzy, shoved his muzzle away with her paw; as she staggered slightly, Cloudwatcher walked up behind her and gently probed her back with a paw. Trying to ignore the sudden burst of pain that resulted, the silver tabby shook her head. "I'm fine." she insisted. "I just overestimated my jump for the Highledge, that's all. And Striketail, geez, stop looking so worried; I know you don't mean it. Seriously, it's nothing."

Striketail opened his mouth in obvious protest of her implication of how indifferent he was, but then promptly shut his mouth at Silverpaw's pointed look; he sat down reluctantly.

Feeling a new rush of determination after her mess up, Silverpaw took another step; aiming for a jump that was not quite so tall, but wide. She almost slipped off the Highledge, but managed to conceal her stumble by pretending to scratch her ear.

She settled next to Rainpaw, who began her questions of concern in a rush. "Are you okay? That looked like it hurt. Tell me. Really, don't lie to me. Are you?"

The apprentice ignored the questions, simply nodding at her sister to begin her side of the story.

Rainpaw shuffled her paws and began, speaking loud and clear despite the stares she was receiving all the clan cats. "This morning, I was assigned by Darkcloud to run as fast as I could to the lake as training. In the end I found myself going the wrong direction, so I stopped at the WindClan border for some, uh, rest."

She hesitated briefly, eyes quickly darting to the form of Derby before she continued again. "After a few minutes of lying down, I felt someone suddenly trip over me. That would be Derby. It looked like she was sprinting away from WindClan, and I heard a cat call from behind her, 'Stay off our territory!' I'm certain that WindClan chased her over here. After that, Darkcloud and I brought her back here. Well, your turn Silverpaw."

Silverpaw nodded and stood up. The pain in her spine was just a dull ache now; she could do this. But then her confidence slightly dimmed at the sound of someone crying, "Sit down, Silverpaw! You're going to get hurt!"

The she-cat glared down at the perpetrator. Of course, it was Puddlesplash. Her mother worried about her too much. "Mother!" she bristled. "I said I'm fine!"

She dismissed Puddlesplash's worried hiss. "Anyway," the tabby drawled, ears twitching. "I met Derby at the fresh-kill pile not too long ago. She told me that she had left the barn and gone into the forest; whatever a barn is. I think it's something from the Horseplace."

Stormysky pitched in helpfully. "Yes, a barn is a large structure made from huge, straight sticks. It's similar to a Twoleg nest, but is used to house their cows and horses."

Silverpaw flicked her tail his direction in gratitude. Like Derby had said, her father had been to the Horseplace often, always coming back and chatting excitedly to his children about his time there.

"In fact," the deputy suddenly continued. "I was acquainted with Derby's father, and stayed there sometimes. I would always play with Derby then, she was such a wild kit."

Silverpaw twitched her whiskers in bemusement. Her own father was stealing her story! Lightningstar flicked his ears at the gray deputy, signaling silence, before nodding at Silverpaw to continue.

"I was informed that she was hunting for a friend when WindClan chased her into our territory." Said Silverpaw. "They must have thought she was one of us. And although I haven't known her long, I can safely assure you all that... Derby is not a threat, or, um, anything."

Derby, who had been silently sitting in the back of the group of cats, spoke up loudly. "It's true; what they said. Also, the cats I've met in your, uh, clan have been very nice and... considerate. I just want to thank you, or something like that." She had stared at Rainpaw and Silverpaw as she talked, her words obviously directed at them. The words of appreciation would have had more impact, however, if Derby's mouth had not still been somewhat full of chewed mouse. The cats around her cringed in disgust at the sight and began to mumble things under their breath to one another, making Derby twitch and swallow quickly.

"Am I done being a hostage now?" The Horseplace cat asked Lightningstar, kneading the ground in impatience and irritation. "Can I go back to my family?"

"Yes," Lightningstar nodded, then pointed at a gray-brown tabby sitting in the crowd. "Ashfall will escort you home safely. Make sure you don't wander off too far again." He turned back to the rest of the clan.

"The cats that will attend the Gathering tonight are: Darkcloud, Boltecho, Wildfire, Burntface, Striketail, Shimmertail, Floodspalsh, Mistystep, Droopflower, Dampfeather, and Fernfrost. The apprentices that will attend are as follows: Rainpaw, Silverpaw, and Flashpaw. The elders will attend as usual. This clan meeting is over."

And with that, the ginger leader disappeared into his den; the ferns at the entrance rustled as he brushed by.

Silverpaw let her sister step off the Highlegde first; she trailed after carefully, fully aware of the still throbbing ache in her back. The she-cat began to sorely make her way across to the apprentices' den, but was suddenly blocked by a wall of extremely plush white fur.

The tabby looked up to see Cloudwatcher gazing at her in concern. "You may not be 'just fine'." He said bluntly. "Lay down."

Complying, she let the medicine cat probe her spine with his paws to search for any major damage. "You've bruised your spine." He told her sternly. "If you don't wear this leaf wrap, I'll keep you from the Gathering. Understand?"

Silverpaw yelped. "I understand! Put the wrap-compress-thing on! Do it! Hurry, please!"

The white tom chuckled as he wrapped some vines and chewed up herbs around her ribs; the herbs rubbed against her spine. Quickly thanking the tom, Silverpaw tiptoed over to her nest and lied down. She was grateful for the rest, despite her sleeping until Sunhigh. The stars high above the den shined brightly, and she closed her eyes in submission to them.

The dreams overtook her.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Silverpaw slowly woke up to the sensation of paws tugging at her leaf compress… Her leaf compress! Someone was trying to pull it off! She pushed down the urge to leap at them, instead lying still and listening for their voice.

"Come _on_." The voice growled quietly. "This leaf compress just will. Not. Stick. On."

Silverpaw shook her head and squinted up at the 'intruder'.

"…Rainpaw?"

Rainpaw jolted. "W-What? Silverpaw! Sorry, it's just, I know you aren't supposed to go to the gathering without this compress, and it was coming off… so I was trying to fix it! Since we're actually about to leave."

Silverpaw stood up and began grooming her fur. Rainpaw shuffled her paws and twitched her tail impatiently.

"Come on Silverpaw. Are you coming or not?" Her sister asked, getting up and trotting toward the entrance.

Silverpaw nodded, eager to get up and to the Gathering. "Let's get going!" She smacked Rainpaw with her white paw when she caught up with her. The sisters raced to the group of cats waiting to leave by the Highledge.

"Looks like we're all here," called Mistystep.

Lightningstar did a once-over of all the cats, before leading them out of the hollow. The sisters stayed at the back, trying to discuss what they thought had possibly become of Derby.

"I wonder why Lightningstar only sent Ashfall with her." Rainpaw whispered into her sister's ear. Silverpaw only shrugged and continued to walk on; simply telling her sister from over her shoulder that the leader probably had his own reasons.

Eventually the island came into view, and Silverpaw's excitement to get to the Gathering steadily grew larger.

A few seconds went by, before finally, Lightningstar raised his tail to signal the clan's stop. The apprentice could make out a jumble of shapes crossing the tree-bridge, and tasted the air. It seemed ThunderClan was going to be the last to reach the Gathering.

"Lightningstar's given the signal!" Stormysky called. "Let's go!"

The Thunderclan cats began to speed towards the island; one by one, they filed in a line onto the tree-bridge. Rainpaw easily leaped onto the tree-bridge, but Silverpaw stumbled. Fernfrost and Striketail quickly caught her and steadied her.

"Thanks a bunch," she told them, then ran to catch up to her sister.

"You okay? I saw you stumble…" Meowed Rainpaw uncertainly.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. I'm fine, just clumsy." The she-cat assured her sister just as they stepped into the clearing for the Gathering.

Silverpaw suddenly had to urge to socialize with some cats from other clans. Flicking her tail at her sister to excuse herself, the silver and white tabby apprentice wandered up to a small group of cats sharing tongues. Shortberry of ShadowClan, Copperpaw and Steamheart of WindClan, Striketail, and Otterheart of RiverClan looked up at her.

"Mind if I join you?" Silverpaw meowed happily.

"Sure!" Copperpaw greeted.

"Yes, sit down, Silverpaw," rumbled Otterheart.

"Otterheart…" Striketail whined to his friend.

The slender brown tom in question chuckled and purred, "I don't see your problem with her, Striketail. She tells the most interesting stories."

Silverpaw shuffled her paws and meowed, "Thanks, Otterheart," She took a seat in between him and Steamheart.

"How are you kits, Steamheart?" The ThunderClan cat asked the she-cat next to her.

The gray queen raised her tail proudly at the thought of her precious children. "Just fine, thank you."

Suddenly Nightstar of ShadowClan yowled, catching everyone's attention. It seemed the meeting was ready to begin.

"I will make my announcement first," The tom growled, glaring around as if he was daring the other leaders to say otherwise. He stood up, his black pelt blending in so well with the night, he only appeared to be a pair of glowing amber eyes.

"Shadowclan has had good hunting, and Slashpaw is now Slashfoot. However, we have been forced to chase off quite a few dogs from our RiverClan border. We believe the Twolegs bring them there to play in the water; that is when they must leave," He rumbled, his gravelly voice thick with irritation. He shot a pointed glance at Creekstar, whose pelt bristled at the look.

"It is a good thing," ShadowClan's leader growled lowly. "That ShadowClan has honorable warriors that have the skill and bravery to do so."

Creekstar jumped to his feet, growling. "Are you implying that RiverClan does not have any honorable warriors?" He hissed. Nightstar said nothing to the accusation merely choosing to stare off to the side; Creekstar exhaled slowly.

"I will make my announcement next." He huffed. "RiverClan has been successful with fishing. The same dogs that plague ShadowClan have frequented the RiverClan territory in search of the lake. Our _very honorable and brave_ warrior Lizardtooth injured his paw in a fight with one. Also, Featherfall has given birth to a healthy litter of kits. Lightningstar, would you like to go next?"

The ThunderClan leader nodded and stood. "Our hunting forays have been successful. We are well fed. Also, some of our Warriors have recently chased out a fox from ThunderClan territory. Do not worry, we drove it far enough out of clan boundaries and we believe that it will not be coming back for a while after our warriors got a hold of it."

Some of the ThunderClan warriors let out yowls of victory, remembering the incident. When the calls of triumph had died down, Lightningstar meowed politely, "Thank you."

Upon seeing Lightningstar finish, the WindClan leader, Breezestar, stood to his feet.

"I hate to say it," murmured Copperpaw to Silverpaw, flicking his golden tail at his brown tabby leader. "But I think he's going to go on another boasting rant."

Shortberry flicked her ears in annoyance, while Steamheart murmured, "Yes, he does enjoy showing his pride in WindClan… Though sometimes he reveals too much."

Breezestar cleared his throat and began. "WindClan is so well fed, some of our warriors are being put through extra exercises to lose fat. Our kits are the healthiest you will ever see, even in your own clan. Recently, some WindClan warriors found a cat on our territory and we have reason to believe that this cat was of ThunderClan."

He started to ramble. "They, like the bravest and most loyal warriors, chased it out of our territory. ThunderClan is not allowed! It seems they needed a reminder."

The brown tabby continued, unaware of ThunderClan's dangerous looks. "Among other news, a few of our apprentices fought valiantly against a fox and sent it limping into ThunderClan territory; Furzepaw has been made Furzewing, and Sunpaw is now Sunshadow. Unfortunately, Sunshadow's sister, Vixenpaw, was killed in the fight; we all miss her greatly. Thank you for listening. WindClan, share tongues, and then, we depart!"

Steamheart chuckled. "I knew he would brag."

Striketail turned to speak to Silverpaw, but froze at Lightningstar's sudden meow. "Now hold on!" Lightningstar exclaimed.

Breezestar turned to face him with narrowed eyes. "What is it?"

The clans fell silent and stared up at the two bristling leaders. "This cat you say you chased out was not one of ThunderClan. In fact, that cat was not of any clan." The ginger leader said indignantly.

"Oh? And how would you know this?" Breezestar asked almost tauntingly, stepping closer to Lightningstar. So close that they were practically touching noses.

"We found the same cat on our territory and took it hostage. She turned out to be a cat from the Horseplace. One of our warriors has taken her back to her Twolegs." When Lightningstar finished speaking he spun on his heel and headed down toward the rest of ThunderClan, ready to leave and get back to camp.

Breezestar grunted and jumped down on the other side. Seeing this as a signal, the clans started to depart and head back toward their own territories. Silverpaw and Striketail said their farewells to their friends, and then made their way to the ThunderClan party. Striketail was chatting the whole time.

…_Does this tom ever shut up? _Silverpaw groaned inwardly.

The journey back to camp turned rough, fast. Strong gusts of wind and torrents of cold, piercing rain suddenly washed over them, making their journey about twice as long as it should have been. Being smaller than most of the full-grown warriors, the apprentices found it easy to hide behind some of the warriors to avoid the water droplets.

"What did you say?" shouted Rainpaw from behind Droopflower. Silverpaw yowled across the windy gusts from ahead of Darkcloud, who didn't look so happy about his drenched fur. "I said, he tripped so bad he lost the mouse! Am I the only cat here who loves this rain?"

Burntface, from behind Floodsplash, cried, "Yes, you are! I'm not following this conversation at all!"

Flashpaw tugged at Striketail's soaked fur. "How much longer until we reach camp?"

Striketail shook him off and snapped, "Get out from under my paws and go talk to Silverpaw or something!"

Flashpaw wailed, "Fine!" Then raced away to hide under Boltecho.

When they _finally_ reached camp, Silverpaw yowled in rage: The apprentice den had been utterly destroyed! Her nest! Blown away!

_The one time I can really enjoy this great of a storm… and my den blows away! _The silver tabby was outraged.

"Sleep in the warriors den with us, apprentices," Duskeyes called from her nest in the Warriors den.

The three apprentices slowly slunk, soaked to the skin and dripping, to the edge of the den; Loudpaw and Brightpaw were already there, curled up. Out of the corner of her eye, Silverpaw could see Darkcloud cuddle close to Duskeyes. The she-cat didn't seem to mind his wet fur and fell asleep next to him.

_They're a pretty cute couple._ Silverpaw couldn't help but think. Stopping herself from wondering about what kind of she-cat would want Darkcloud as a mate, the apprentice finally allowed herself to relax; her eyes slipped closed.

And as she dreamed, the rain outside continued to fall, playing out a soft rhythm when it hit the muddy ground.

* * *

**K.A.K: Hey, why didn't you tell me you were there earlier? *thinks back to beginning***

**Silver-chan: Do I really need to announce my presence whenever I go somewhere?**

**K.A.K: Yes!**

**Silver-chan: Nope! :D**

**K.A.K: *whines***

**Erin: Guys pls**

**Silver-chan: *****ignores an irrtated K.A.K and an exasperated Erin*** BTW**, to our glorious fans: Send us a request or give us a shout, and I'll draw an official arting of any character in TWS you ask for. I'm currently drawing Flashpaw, Rainpaw, Silverpaw and Derby. Please! Or else, I wont give away this plushie! *squeezes a Silverpaw plushie***

******Erin: Oi! _I_ gave that to you!  
**

******Silver-chan: Review and tell us what you think!**


	6. Rainpaw: Surprise, Surprise

**K.A.K: Here's the newest chapter! We'd like to thank you guys for all our reviews (^=^) We've also noticed that our chapters are getting longer and longer, haha… **

**Also, some of you are wondering why Stormysky visited the Horseplace often in the past. Welp, to shorten it, Derby's father saved Stormysky's life, and they became close friends after that. You can find out in an upcoming book called, "The Past of the Present"! Look forward to it! *shot for promoting in the A/N***

**Now, enjoy!**

**Erin: Shouldn't I say that since this is MY chapter?**

**K.A.K: Well...yes...**

**Erin: Then why are you doing it?**

**K.A.K: *sighs* Fine, you can say it.**

**Erin: Thank you~**

**K.A.K: Just do it!**

**Erin: Enjoy my chapter~!**

* * *

_**Written By: Erin**_

_**Edited By: K.A.K**_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Rainpaw blinked open her amber eyes, only to find warm sun rays greeting her. Yawning, the light gray tabby apprentice slowly got to her paws and stretched.

"Hey, watch it!" A voice suddenly snapped from behind her. Rainpaw turned and found that due to her stretching, her tail had whacked Silverpaw in the face and had woken her up.

"Sorry." mumbled Rainpaw, still half-asleep. Silverpaw merely grumbled in response before turning to lie on her side; her breath evened out, a sign that she had fallen back asleep. Rainpaw twitched her whiskers in amusement, and then headed out of the warriors den.

The green-leaf sun instantly blinded Rainpaw. The apprentice squinted her eyes as she walked on toward the fresh-kill pile. Reaching the pile, she grabbed a rabbit that sat on the top and dragged it back toward the warriors den. The apprentice had her teeth clamped shut on the prey as she tried to lug the heavy creature across the clearing.

"Do you think that you can eat all of that?" asked a familiar voice. Rainpaw let the dead critter drop out of her mouth and fall to the ground as she turned her head to find Flashpaw standing right next to her.

"No." The light gray she-cat answered. "I was going to bring it back to Silverpaw. You know, for us to share when she wakes up."

Flashpaw stared at her a moment then flicked his ginger tail toward the rabbit. "It's a pretty big rabbit. Would you mind sharing some of it with me too?" His yellow eyes gleamed as he asked the question; he was obviously eager for reply.

Rainpaw shrugged, not really caring. "Sure, I don't mind," Then once again, she clasped the prey in her jaws, pulling it across the ground towards the Warriors' den. She could feel Flashpaw's presence following close behind her. _He could at least try and help me. _Rainpaw thought bitterly as she continued her journey towards the direction of her snoring sister.

The tabby had almost made it to the Warriors' den when she heard a cat call her name. Dropping the rabbit _again_, Rainpaw twisted her head to see Darkcloud striding up to her. "Yes?" Asked Rainpaw, irritation laced thickly into her voice. _I'm about to give up on this rabbit if I'm just going to keep getting interrupted and having to drop it every time. _She huffed inwardly.

"I'm going out hunting with Duskeyes." Her mentor told her shortly. "We'll train when I get back."

Then the dark gray tom turned on heel and walked off without waiting for Rainpaw's reply. With a sigh, the apprentice picked the rabbit back up (_For what? _The tabby snorted. _The fourth time?_) and trekked onward to where Silverpaw lay; she was surprised to see Flashpaw still following her. She thought he would have gone ahead due to the delay with Darkcloud. _Guess not._

When she finally reached her destination, she let the rabbit drop with a _thump_ and pawed at her sister impatiently. Her sister ignored her; Rainpaw did it again, this time adding more pressure to her nudges.

"Rainpaw!" Silverpaw whined when she realized that her sibling wouldn't relent any time soon. "Knock it off!" Her reply was Rainpaw biting her ear.

"Wake up already." pouted Rainpaw. "You've gotten plenty of sleep."

Silverpaw stayed where she was, unmoving; whether out of spite or disinterest, Rainpaw didn't know. Or maybe she had just fallen asleep again.

"Fine, then I'll just share my rabbit with Flashpaw!" Rainpaw meowed indignantly, turning to face the ginger tom that sat next to the rabbit; he had been watching the scene between the two sisters in amusement.

The gray tabby settled down on the other side of the rabbit so that she was facing the other apprentice. "Go on." The she-cat teased playfully, fully aware of the fact that her sister could probably hear her. "Silverpaw is too lazy to even get up and eat. So you can have as _much as you like_."

Flashpaw nodded enthusiastically at her words and began to dig into the rabbit; Rainpaw joined in. They stayed like that for many moments, simply eating their morning meal in silence. But just as she got ready to take another bite, a yowl rang out from the clearing.

Rainpaw was on her paws in an instant; Flashpaw was already racing out of the den. The apprentice whirled around to see her sister up on her paws as well, eyes wide and fur bristling. _Oh, now you get up,_ thought Rainpaw sarcastically. She shook her head (knowing now was not the time to be snarky), and rushed out into the clearing. Silverpaw was close behind.

In the middle of the clearing, a group of cats were huddled together in a ragged circle. Rainpaw struggled to find a way through all of the cats; she couldn't possibly see over all of them.

"Move aside! Make way!" Ordered a deep voice. Every cat ceased movement upon hearing the voice, then slowly began to make way for their ginger-furred leader. Lightningstar strode into the middle of the crowd; the heart of the commotion. Slipping behind him, the gray tabby apprentice quietly followed the older tom. Standing before them was a ginger tom covered in multiple wounds and gashes. Rainpaw couldn't help but gasp aloud.

"What happened, Flameheart?" Lightningstar demanded. The smaller ginger tom looked at his leader with large, fearful eyes; his whole body quivered. Sensing the injured Warrior's fear, the ThunderClan leader waited patiently. Flameheart's gaze swept around to look at the surrounding cats before he finally gathered the courage to speak.

"I was leading a border patrol near the WindClan border when we were attacked." He answered, his voice a bit shaky.

"Where are the others?" asked Lightningstar softly. Before Flameheart could answer, a dark silver and white she-cat walked through the camp entrance, followed by a pale gray she-cat.

"We are here." The pale gray cat told them, staggering forward. "We were attacked by a WindClan patrol, as Flameheart said. I don't understand why. We were just patrolling the border and we didn't even step across."

"Are you sure, Mistystep?" Lightningstar needed to confirm it. The she-cat whipped her gray head toward her leader upon hearing such a ridiculous question.

"Of course I'm sure! Why would we want to go into WindClan territory?" Her voice was practically overflowing with anger; her cheek was glistening with blood from a gash by her eye, making her demeanor seem even scarier.

Lightningstar ignored her sudden outburst (Mistystep hissed quietly at this) and looked back at the silver and white she-cat. "How many attacked you, Poolbreeze?" He asked, leaning forward; he wanted to hear every word.

"I wouldn't say many, but we were out numbered. It seems likely that it was just another WindClan patrol ready to pick a fight. I don't believe that we are in danger of being attacked again anytime soon." Poolbreeze answered quietly, now leaning against Mistystep for support.

The ThunderClan leader nodded slowly, gazing off into the distance; he appeared to be in deep thought. While he did this, Rainpaw noticed out of the corner of her eye a fluffy white tom making his way toward the injured cats.

"I'm fine, Cloudwatcher." insisted Mistystep when the tom began to push her towards the medicine den, along with the other patrol cats.

Many of the others had departed and gone back to their warrior duties, after being assured by their leader that everything would be fine. Rainpaw blinked up at him. "Will there be a battle?" asked Rainpaw uncertainly.

Lightningstar didn't reply, instead slowly getting up and walking back toward his den. Rainpaw stayed where she was, frowning.

"If there is one, I bet that he wouldn't think twice about putting you in the first line of defense." said a voice in Rainpaw's ear. The gray flecked tabby apprentice jolted at the sight of seeing her sister sitting next to her.

"No way!" She argued instantly. "You're the better fighter, I'm the hunter." Though Rainpaw couldn't deny that her whiskers twitched in anticipation at the thought of her first battle.

"That's true. You were always faster. Sometimes I wonder if you were really just a kit stolen from WindClan and raised in ThunderClan." Silverpaw teased, a mock look of wonder playing on her face. Rainpaw aimed to smack her sister playfully with her paw, but the silver tabby swiftly moved out of the way and slid forward to ram into Rainpaw's side. Rainpaw fell back with a _thud_.

"See, told you.", Rainpaw grunted as she got back up to her paws. Then the two of them discussed how they thought their first battle was going to be like until Rainpaw noticed a pale ginger she-cat walking up to them.

"Hey, Silverpaw!" Called the she-cat, now bounding up to come between them. Rainpaw let out a sigh while Silverpaw greeted the other apprentice.

"Hey, Brightpaw…" Rainpaw mumbled. Brightpaw ignored the gray tabby and bounced around Silverpaw, who just sat there as Brightpaw began to talk nonsense with her. Rainpaw snorted and looked away.

"Hey, Rainpaw!" Called another voice. The said she-cat turned to see Flashpaw coming up to her. "We never did get to finish that rabbit." He told her, his side brushing up against hers. "Want to go finish it?"

Before Rainpaw could reply, a dark gray shape slid into the clearing. Following it was a dusky brown she-cat. _Darkcloud and Duskeyes must be back_, Rainpaw concluded. The dark gray tom was looking around warily and staying close beside Duskeyes. Curiously, Rainpaw watched as he led her into the nursery. That's when Rainpaw realized that she must be expecting his kits! Excited, Rainpaw turned back towards Flashpaw.

"Did you see that?" asked Rainpaw, her excitement steadily building.

"See what?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Duskeyes went into the nursery! Which means that she must be expecting Darkcloud's kits!" Rainpaw jumped to her feet. "I'm going over to see." She sprinted over, eventually slowing down and coming to a halt at the entrance. Sitting in front, as if on guard, was Darkcloud. He didn't look too excited- but then again, he never did.

"Hello, Darkcloud." Greeted Rainpaw slyly, now standing in front of her mentor. The tom only greeted her by nodding.

"So…Is Duskeyes expecting your kits?" Rainpaw asked abruptly; her curiosity was too much to handle, she might as well get it over with. Darkcloud stared at her a moment, as if contemplating something, before giving a brisk nod.

Rainpaw gasped. "I knew it! I so called this!" The apprentice tried to peer around Darkcloud into the nursery. "Can I go see her?" She asked excitedly.

When no reply came, she looked back up at her mentor; he was shaking his head no. Rainpaw instantly frowned.

"Are we at least going to train today?" she asked, shuffling her paws awkwardly.

"Yes. But not right now.", was his answer. Rainpaw nodded in understanding (disappointed nonetheless), and then raced away from the nursery toward the other apprentices.

"That was quick." Silverpaw remarked.

"Yup. But I did figure out that Darkcloud is going to be a father!" Rainpaw reported happily.

Silverpaw had a look of surprise on her face. "Wow!"

"I feel bad for those kits." Flashpaw sniffed from behind Rainpaw loudly. Upon hearing the words, the gray tabby slowly turned her head towards him, eyes narrowed; Flashpaw saw this instantly.

"Sorry Rainpaw! I was just joking!" He apologized in a rush, looking around wildly to avoid her gaze. Rainpaw let the tension leave her body at the sight and released a slight purr, amused by the reaction.

"It's okay, you're kind of right. They would make some pretty strict parents."

Rainpaw suddenly spotted a ginger and white tom approaching them, making everyone else notice and turn their attention to him .

"Hi there, Loudpaw.", Silverpaw greeted.

Loudpaw let out a long sigh. "Hi."

Silverpaw noticed the change in behavior and sat next to Loudpaw. "What's wrong?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"Duskeyes was my mentor, but now she's expecting kits. Now she's going to be stuck in the nursery all day. Who is going to mentor me?" Loudpaw voiced his uncertainties, letting a whimper escape as he spoke.

"I guess you'll have to wait until her kits are apprentices for you to finish your training." Brightpaw joked lightly. Loudpaw looked up at his sister, alarmed.

"Don't listen to her." Silverpaw cut in. "I'm sure that Lightningstar will choose you a new mentor for the time being."

Loudpaw sighed again, looking down at his paws. "I hope so."

"Why wouldn't he?" Rainpaw asked, figuring it was time to join the conversation. Loudpaw shrugged, not having a proper answer.

"You're worrying over nothing. You're going to be just fine and back to training in no time." Promised Rainpaw; suddenly, a shadow was cast over her.

"Rainpaw." The gray apprentice craned her neck up to discover Darkcloud towering over her. "Come on, we're going out to train." His words were brisk as he turned away and headed towards the forest. Rainpaw, without turning to say good-bye to the others, ran after him.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Rainpaw stood in the clearing where she had trained the day before, glancing over towards the thick undergrowth. _Am I going to have to run again?,_ Rainpaw groaned inwardly. She could still remember how sore she felt from where thorns had ripped at her fur. Rainpaw shuddered.

"Yes, you are going to be running in there again today," Darkcloud said suddenly, as if reading her thoughts. "But this time it will be a little different."

Rainpaw blinked up at her mentor with amber eyes. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but Darkcloud had already slipped under the undergrowth. The apprentice started off after him and plunged into the bushes without thinking. Looking around, she couldn't find her mentor.

"I want you to practice battle moves in here as well." Rainpaw turned to find Darkcloud sitting behind her and staring with dark eyes. "It will help if our enemies attack us on our territory. You must learn battle moves if there is going to be a battle with WindClan anytime soon. This, I guarantee, will help. If you can run in any area then you must be prepared to fight in any area as well." He continued. "I want you to be able to know this place by heart. Every day you will be running and fighting in here until I feel that it's not hard enough for you anymore."

He narrowed his eyes, and Rainpaw started to panic. _Every day? I don't think that I can do that! _Rainpaw was exasperated. Then suddenly, without a single word, Darkcloud slipped under a small rose bush and disappeared. Startled, Rainpaw hurried after him.

But when she got out from under the bush, he was nowhere to be found (_Again., _Rainpaw couldn't help but think bitterly.). The tabby she-cat let her eyes scan the undergrowth.

_There's no point in scenting him,_ Rainpaw admitted begrudgingly. _His scent is just masked over by the smells of these plants. _

The apprentice was frustrated and confused, having no idea where to start. There were too many different scents! There was no way she could only focus on Darkcloud's!

Then, she noticed paw-prints on the ground; barely visible, but they were there. Joy filled within Rainpaw as she followed them under a dead hazel bush. The gray tabby apprentice wriggled underneath it, the darker flecks on her pelt flashing silver in the sunlight that slid through leaves from above.

When Rainpaw finally poked her head up, she kept her paws close to her face, expecting an attack. But Darkcloud wasn't there. Had she been fooled?

Huffing, the she-cat managed to relax and pull the rest of her body out from under the bush. Then suddenly, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Without a moment's hesitation she spun around, only to discover it had been the white tip of her tail. Feeling extremely embarrassed, she continued on with the search.

The she-cat kept her eyes on the ground, following the paw prints on the ground until they suddenly stopped. Rainpaw was just about to give up, but spotted something on a bramble next to her. The apprentice got closer to find that it was a piece of dark gray fur. Rainpaw was filled with happiness.

_I've got you now Darkcloud, _The gray cat grinned as she tensed her muscles, ready for a fight. She swiftly slid between two bramble thickets and into the middle of a clearing. This clearing was much smaller and filled with flowers. It was surrounded by bramble thickets and a couple of bushes here and there.

This place was only big enough for Rainpaw to fit into; no way would Darkcloud be here!

Disappointment weighing down her body, Rainpaw began to trudge back out. Then suddenly, a weight fell on top of her, and she was sent crashing into the ground. Rainpaw struggled to breathe beneath her attacker, but he stayed on top of her.

She twisted around enough to where she could see who had pinned her down. Frustration filled her when she spotted a familiar dark gray pelt; she struggled harder, eventually managing to slip out a paw. The she-cat raised her paw and swiped at Darkcloud, making sure that her claws were sheathed.

The tom leaped away and Rainpaw instantly got to her paws. She raced towards him, and Darkcloud, having no time to move, was rammed in the side. Her mentor stumbled and she stood over him. The apprentice reared up on her hind legs to try and sent her paws slamming down on Darkcloud's chest, but the tom was faster and rolled out of the way.

She was now back down on all fours and turned to face Darkcloud. His dark eyes sparkled, though the emotion inside was still unreadable. Rainpaw shivered at the look, and using that as a distraction, Darkcloud disappeared behind a bramble thicket.

_Oh no you don't! I won't let you run away this time. _Determined, the tabby raced off after him. Rainpaw charged after her mentor, who was sliding under bushes and thickets and shrubs like it was no big deal. On the other-paw(?), Rainpaw was having a pretty hard time. She could barely keep up with the Warrior, much less get to a point to where she could attack him.

_At least I got some practice yesterday. _Rainpaw thought, still chasing after her mentor. Suddenly the apprentice spotted some ivy tendrils straying up ahead in front of Darkcloud on the left. Remembering how she had tripped over one last time, Rainpaw thought of a plan. _This is a chance that I'm going to have to take._

Bunching up her muscles, Rainpaw jumped to the right in front of Darkcloud. Startled the tom went left and just as she suspected, tripped over the ivy tendrils. He fell to the ground with a big _thud_ and Rainpaw jumped on top of him, holding him down with all her strength; even when she knew that he was much stronger and more experienced than her. But her mentor did not fight back. Rainpaw was confused, but still held a firm grip on the tom.

"You can let go now." He mumbled. Slowly, Rainpaw released him. Still unsure, she did not let herself relax just yet. Her mentor got to his paws and sat in front of Rainpaw. The she-cat relaxed and sat down as well, feeling certain that he had given up.

"You did very well for an apprentice who has not had much battle training." He told her. Rainpaw noticed that his eyes seemed to not be looking at her but rather something behind her. "It was very smart of you, steering me toward the tendrils. You obviously knew that I was only going to either outrun you until you got tired out, or, if possible, trip on something." His praise made Rainpaw sit up taller and puff out her chest.

"Now let's head back to camp." He announced, sliding under a bush. Quickly, Rainpaw followed, hoping not to lose him and get lost in this place.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

When Rainpaw entered camp, she found many cats gathering around the center of the clearing. Confused to what was going on, Rainpaw hurried to where the apprentices were sitting in the back.

"Is there a clan meeting?" Rainpaw asked, as she trotted up toward the others. Silverpaw only shrugged.

"I think so." Loudpaw answered, who was sitting next to Rainpaw's sister.

"Then where's Lightningstar?" The gray tabby cat questioned. Then, as if on cue, Lightningstar emerged from his den.

"I bet this is about the WindClan attack." Whispered a voice. Rainpaw started a bit to see that Flashpaw was sitting next to her. The ginger tom had not taken his eyes off of his father as he spoke. Rainpaw blinked at him a moment before turning her attention back up to the leader.

"As you all know," Their leader began, "WindClan has attacked one of our patrols recently." His yellow eyes narrowed. It was then Rainpaw absentmindedly noticed how similar Flashpaw was to his father. Ignoring the white flash on Lightningstar's chest, both toms had ginger pelts and dark yellow eyes.

"Are we going to fight back?" Called out a voice from in front of Rainpaw, snapping her out of her stupor. She searched the group, trying to find the cat who dared to interrupt. Her gaze eventually rested on a black tom. The Warrior, Beetleleap, was staring up at Lightningstar with a questioning look on his face.

"Of course we're going to fight back!" Hissed Lightningstar. "ThunderClan cats are not cowards! We will not sit around while WindClan attacks our patrols!"

Beetleleap's fur bristled, obviously alarmed at his leader's ferociousness. "So when do we fight?" He asked with bared teeth.

Lightningstar looked over all the cats before speaking. "I'm not certain yet." He admitted.

"Why not fight now?" Beetleleap tried to push on. This time, Stormysky was the one who answered.

"If they were ordered by their leader to attack us," He explained slowly. "Then they must be ready for us to fight back." The cats started to mumble to one another while a few continued to stare up at their leader; they were most likely waiting for him to say more.

"I don't think I'm ready for a battle." Flashpaw suddenly confessed. Rainpaw looked at the ginger tom. The fur on his shoulders was bristling slightly and she could practically smell his fear; it was steadily getting stronger.

"Don't worry," She tried to assure him. "Lightningstar said that we wouldn't be having a battle today." The ginger apprentice still looked unsure, so Rainpaw rubbed her cheek against his in encouragement.

"Look, if you're really that worried, then ask Boltecho to show you some battle moves." The tabby suggested. Flashpaw turned his head toward her, his yellow eyes seemed to sparkle with new ambition.

"Don't worry, Rainpaw. I will, just wait and see. By tomorrow, I'll know all of the battle moves!"

Rainpaw let out a purr of amusement. "Right." She laughed, flicking him with her tail. "And hedgehogs will fly."

Flashpaw opened his mouth to retort, but promptly closed it when a yowl split through the air. All cats turned their heads to find Lightningstar staring at all of them, waiting for silence. "I have one more thing I would like to announce." He said, looking straight at Loudpaw. "Duskeyes has joined the queens in the nursery. So from this point on, Droopflower will be taking over Loudpaw's training."

Hearing her name, the brown and cream she-cat stepped forward to face Loudpaw. The apprentice could only stare up at her with unsure eyes. But the she-cat looked at him with such friendliness that Rainpaw felt it wouldn't take long for Loudpaw to form a bond with his new mentor.

"Of course," Brightpaw remarked from behind Silverpaw. "Loudpaw just has to be trained by a she-cat."

Silverpaw turned to Brightpaw and smacked her in the head lightly with her white paw. "Ouch!" whined Brightpaw. But instead of fighting back, she simply sat there with a guilty look on her face. Rainpaw grunted and turned back to the leader. _If I was the one who did that to her,_ the apprentice thought, _then she would have tried to claw my ears off!_

For some reason, ever since Loudpaw and his litter-mates had become apprentices, Brightpaw took a liking to Silverpaw and decided that they were going to be great friends. But for reasons unknown, Brightpaw hated Rainpaw and always tried to get in her way while she talked to her sister. It really was strange, Rainpaw had decided. And unfair.

She was then shaken from her thoughts upon realizing that the meeting was over and the cats were dispersing.

"I wonder what would happen if ShadowClan somehow got angry with us." Silverpaw suddenly announced, staring straight at Rainpaw. The gray tabby could only shrug her shoulders at her sister.

"That would be bad! We already have WindClan on our tails." Flashpaw said, fear seeping through into his voice.

"Hey, didn't Nightstar get a new deputy?" Brightpaw changed the subject abruptly. Rainpaw nodded, and suddenly Brightpaw's face was in hers.

"I wasn't asking you!" She blurted, pale ginger fur bristling and teeth bared. Rainpaw instantly tried to back away, but stopped when she bumped into something. Rainpaw lifted her head up to see Flashpaw standing over her.

"Stop taking everything out on her, Brightpaw! You have no need to be rude to Rainpaw all the time!" Flashpaw, though was very close to his litter-mates, seemed to be fuming.

Brightpaw merely blinked up at him with bright amber eyes. "I'm sorry that I made you angry, Flashpaw." She meowed, sounding like a kit. Rainpaw rolled her eyes.

"Well anyway, to answer your question, yes, Nightstar did get a new deputy." Flashpaw told her, his voice still rigid.

"What happened to Fangtooth?" she asked her brother curiously.

"He was old and retired. That's all.", was his simple answer.

"Wow. He sure has been through a lot of deputies." Brightpaw observed. Rainpaw tilted her head at these words.

"How many has he had again?" Rainpaw wondered aloud. Brightpaw bristled slightly, but stayed silent.

"Let's see," Silverpaw joined in. "First was Scorchwhisker, next was Cedertail, then there was Flightfoot...Oh! And there was also Hawktalon and Brittleclaw."

Rainpaw let her mouth hang open, while Flashpaw breathed, "That's a lot of deputies."

"How did they all die?", Brightpaw asked, bouncing up and down like an excited kit around Silverpaw.

"They all had different deaths.", Rainpaw's sister informed them. "Scorchwhisker died of sickness, Cedertail was captured by Twolegs and never seen again, Flightfoot died in a fight, Hawktalon was killed by a fox, and Brittleclaw broke the warrior code too many times and was chased out of the clan straight across to the Thunderpath where a monster got him." Silence settled over the apprentices when Silverpaw stopped to catch her breath.

"Wow." Flashpaw spoke up. "I wouldn't want to be deputy of _that_ clan."

Rainpaw turned to him and let out a meow of amusement. "You got that right.", The gray apprentice agreed.

"Who's the new deputy?" Brightpaw looked at Silverpaw with large amber eyes.

"Scarnose.", Silverpaw answered with a snort of disgust.

"Yeah, I hate him too.", The pale ginger she-cat agreed quickly.

Loudpaw, who had been silent during their whole conversation, nodded in agreement also. "He gives me the chills.", The ginger and white tom announced, deciding to speak up.

"Why would Nightstar want to choose him as deputy?", Rainpaw wondered.

"Maybe he's just sick of losing all of his deputies and chose a warrior that he believed would be strong and not die like the others.", Flashpaw voiced his theory confidently, head high in the air.

"Fangtooth isn't dead though.", Brightpaw pointed out. "He was just old."

Flashpaw frowned at his sister, who was now too busy prancing around Silverpaw to notice. Rainpaw watched with narrowed eyes as Brightpaw circled her sister. The silver tabby didn't even seem to mind, simply watching. _How does she put up with that every day? _The gray she-cat wondered._ I know I wouldn't last a day without swiping at her._

"What are you staring at?" Asked Flashpaw, interrupting her thoughts.

"Nothing." Rainpaw answered quickly, without turning to look at the ginger apprentice. When he didn't reply, Rainpaw got to her paws and headed towards the nursery. Sitting at the entrance, again, was Darkcloud. Trying her best to ignore his stare, Rainpaw slipped inside.

_I have a right to be here,_ She insisted to herself._ My family is in here too. _

Almost as soon as she stepped inside, she was attacked by a flying piece of gray fur. The bundle of fur rammed straight into one of her front legs.

"Graykit!" Rainpaw shrieked unintentionally. The dappled gray she-kit paused and stared up at Rainpaw with green eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" The apprentice asked, feeling somewhat bemused.

"I'm training to be a Warrior!" Graykit meowed, with a look on her face that practically read out, 'Duh, it should be obvious'. Before Rainpaw could make a comment about it, a pale gray queen walked forward and picked Graykit up by the scruff. Graykit growled and struggled in her mother's grasp, but it was futile.

"Hello, Puddlesplash." Rainpaw greeted. Her mother purred at her before turning away and settling back down in her nest of moss with Graykit. Rainpaw followed a distance behind.

Puddlesplash carefully dropped Graykit to the ground, then instantly drew her back with a paw when the tiny cat tried to rush away. Graykit let out a whimper as her mother started to groom her fur.

"My fur doesn't need to be washed!" The young cat whined; Puddlesplash ignored her complaining. Meanwhile, Rainpaw scanned the nursery, trying to find Darkcloud's new mate. Within moments she saw a dusky brown she-cat lying on her side in the back of the nursery.

"Hey, Duskeyes!" She called happily. The brown she-cat lifted her head and blinked at Rainpaw with dark eyes that reminded Rainpaw of Darkcloud.

"Hello, Rainpaw." Greeted the new Queen, her words followed by a yawn. "What brings you here?" She seemed tired.

Before Rainpaw could answer, she heard a growl from the entrance. Expecting to see Darkcloud, Rainpaw turned with her head lowered and ears flattened. But when the gray apprentice turned, all she found was a dark brown mottled queen.

"Leave her alone!" Demanded Mudstream, her eyes slits. "Can't you see that she's tired?" Without waiting for an answer, the queen turned her back directly to Rainpaw. It took all of Rainpaw's strength not to claw her fur out.

_How did the great leader Lightningstar fall in love with that? I can't see why a tom would fall for her. _The apprentice huffed. Then, out of nowhere, a small dark brown kit moved into view from behind Mudstream.

"Hi there." Rainpaw almost cooed, bending down so she was eye-level with the kit. "What's your name?" She wasn't going to be rude to Mudstream's kit, no matter how rude the mother was to her; Rainpaw was not about to take her anger out on an innocent kit.

"I'm Hollowkit.", The little tom introduced.

"Well it's lovely to meet you, Hollowkit.", Rainpaw purred, twitching her whiskers. _Maybe one of Mudstream's kits isn't that bad after all._

"Rainpaw, come here!", Darkcloud suddenly called from outside. Instantly, the gray she-cat was on her paws, rushing out without a goodbye.

"Yes, Darkcloud?", The apprentice asked her mentor politely.

"I want you to get some rest.", Darkcloud told her, not even sparing her a glance. "We will be training all day tomorrow, and you'll need energy."

Rainpaw instantly protested. "But it's barely sunset!" He didn't reply, instead looking over at his mate, who had fallen asleep. With a reluctant sigh, Rainpaw dragged her paws towards the apprentices' den. She didn't even bother looking back, knowing that there was no point in arguing with her mentor.

She came to a stop when she saw Rosefall and Soggyleaf weaving sticks and gorse together.

"What's going on, Rosefall?" Rainpaw asked the white she-cat cat. Rosefall's pretty eyes looked up to meet hers.

"We're putting your den back together." She told the apprentice.

"Though I believe that the apprentices should be the ones putting their own den back together." A strict voice added. That's when Rainpaw noticed Soggyleaf was staring at her with narrowed gray-blue eyes. Rainpaw blinked at the gray she-cat.

"Sorry. If you'd like, I could help." The gray tabby meekly offered. "I could ask Silverpaw to help too." The apprentice got to her paws, ready to fetch Silverpaw, when she heard Rosefall's meow.

"No, its fine. We're almost done anyway. Thanks though." Then she turned to hand Soggyleaf a few sticks; the conversation was obviously over.

With a frown, Rainpaw turned away and headed toward the warriors' den. The only cats resting inside were Dampfeather and Bluewhisker.

"Hello, Bluewhisker." Rainpaw nodded in greeting. The blue-gray tom looked up from grooming Dampfeather for a moment to murmur a greeting back; he probably didn't want to wake Dampfeather up, who was slowly falling asleep to his soothing licks.

Rainpaw watched the couple for a moment before heading to her own nest. _The nursery is going to be full this green-leaf, _She observed, amused. Settling down and resting her head on her paws, the she-cat let her eyes slide closed.

Eventually, the dreams came.

* * *

**K.A.K: That went well.**

**Erin: Yup.**

**K.A.K: Sooooo...**

**Erin: What do mean 'Sooooo'?**

**Silver-chan: She doesn't know what to say.**

**Erin: Ah...**

***silence***

**Erin: Well, I'll be going now...**

**K.A.K: *startled* Wait, you can't go! We all have to prepare for the next chapter.**

**Silver-chan: She's already gone you know.**

**K.A.K: Then go after her!**

**Silver-chan: Why?**

**K.A.K: She's the manager! She needs to be here!**

**Silver-chan: *sighs* K.A.K-**

**K.A.K: _MANAGER._**

**Silver-chan: Fine, fine! I'll drag her back. *walks away reluctantly***

**K.A.K: *waves after her* Thank you, Silver~!**

**Please review and tell us what you think! (^~^)**


	7. Derby: Fawn

**K.A.K: Caution! There is a fair amount of awkwardness in this chapter. You have been warned :P Also, to get to the Horseplace, they have to kind of skirt around the Windclan border; so that's what they're doing (this is not the same way Derby came in Chapter 2).**

**And since Silver-chan hasn't come back with Erin yet (le sigh), I'm doing this all on my own! But it's a tad bit boring, so please try to bear with it! (.~.)**

**Soooooo, enjoy!**

* * *

_**Written By: K.A.K**_

_**/No Edit/**_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"So…Do you know the way to the Horseplace, or should I show you?"

Derby had been silently following a gray-brown tabby as he led her out of the 'camp' and through the forest. Her escort, apparently; like the clan cats wanted to make sure she didn't come back (she huffed at the thought).

A few moments had passed after their departure, and Derby suddenly found the silence unsettling. So, deciding it would be a good topic, she inquired his direction sense; he turned to her at the question.

"I know how to get there." He meowed indignantly.

This piqued the brown she-cat's interest. "Really? Are you sure? Ever actually been there…Ashfawn, was it?"

"Ashfall!" The tom practically snarled, halting movement completely. "Say it right! Ash_fall_!"

"Nah," Derby chuckled in amusement, tail swishing. "I think I like Ashfawn more; it suits you better."

Ashfall sneered, but eventually turned around and continued walking; Derby followed him, eyes still sparkling with mirth.

"Well what about you then?" The Warrior asked suddenly. "Why are you so..._different _from when you were at camp? You're more bitter and rude now."

"What are you talking about?" Derby replied back simply, yawning as she did so; she seemed completely unaffected by his insult. "I was just being a bit more cheery than I usually am, sort of like how my brother acts. I didn't want your clanmates to claw my ears off just because I'm _a bit_ snarky. Oh, but the mouse-in-the-mouth part? Totally an accident."

The she-cat didn't find it a big deal, and was somewhat surprised when the tom seemed upset at her answer. "So you mean a cover up?" He asked her angrily. "As in you were practically lying to the whole clan?"

"What- No! Is your brain made of fluff or something? Did you not just hear what I said-"

"No!" The Warrior suddenly bellowed. Derby, startled, crouched low, her eyes narrowed. "You could've been a rogue for all we know! You could have let yourself been dragged to camp just so you could scheme and try to kill our leader! Or worse! Do you realize how many things could have happened-"

The brown she-cat interrupted irritably. "Calm down! You think I'm evil or something? Nothing happened, alright? So please allow me straighten this out for you: I am a simple Horseplace cat that wants to go home, and if you do not do that this moment, _escort_, I will claw your ears off and toss you into a river. Understand?" She ended with a slight snarl, ears laid flat. Ashfall merely stared at her, bewildered.

An awkward silence suddenly crashed upon them, as neither knew what to say. Both cats shifted uncomfortably from where they were standing, still stunned from Derby's outburst (she had shocked even herself).

Many moments passed by, but the quiet had yet to be broken.

"Er…" Derby finally spoke up, voice coming out in a mutter. "I'm sorry that I kind of yelled at you…I just really miss my family; I'm tired of the forest and I want to go back to my life."

Ashfall nodded stiffly, then bent down to lick his chest fur. "It's fine." He told her. "It's my fault too; I guess I was sort of…overreacting."

Derby snorted. "You're telling me, Ashfaw- "

"_-fall._" He growled.

"Whoops, right, fall." She lowered her head sheepishly, but straightened up when a sudden thought came to her. "Hey, why are you even called Ashfall? And live in a 'clan' with other cats? Explain it to me, it might pass the time."

Ashfall regarded her skeptically. "You want me to explain the Warrior Code?"

"Whatever that is, sure!"

He raised his head high and looked at her challengingly. "Positive?" The tom mocked. "I'm not sure you'll be able to keep up."

Derby responded by whacking him in the face with her tail; she smirked. "Try me, Ashfawn."

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

"-And that's why it's dishonorable to kill other cats." Ashfall finished solemnly, tail swaying back and forth in the air.

Derby was walking alongside him, listening intently; they were now deep into the heart of the forest, and the sky had just begun getting dark. They had been going at a slow pace, hence why they were still out in the forest at this time.

The warrior started to speak the next code. "The last and final code is that 'A warrior must reject the soft life of a kittypet'. Which means-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait." Derby slapped her tail over his mouth, muffling his voice. "I live in the Horseplace with Twolegs. Am I kittypet? I know Lucy's one, she lives _inside_ the Twoleg nest."

The gray and brown tom moved away from her, his face twisting into a disgusted look. "That's the sixth time you've done that since I've started talking. If I cough up a hairball later, it's going to be your fault."

The she-cat shrugged, uninterested in his well-being. "So," She drawled. "Am I considered a kittypet, or not? Because if I was, I would have to abandon my life at the Horseplace, right?"

Ashfall contemplated the situation. "I guess if you're fed by Twolegs or live with Twolegs, you're considered a kittypet." He answered finally. "But I'm not really sure if that's correct."

Derby began to nod at him in thanks, but stopped mid-way when the tom suddenly smirked. "What's wrong?"

His smirk widened. "Hmm," Ashfall hummed in a mocking manner. "I wonder why you even care."

The she-cat in question lashed her tail. "I was just curious-"

"Or you want to be a clan cat." The warrior teased, lip curling in amusement.

Derby bristled at the accusation. "No way! I would never leave my brother and Lucy!"

"Ah," Ashfall nodded. "I see, you're saying you wouldn't be able to handle life without eating rabbit pellets everyday of your life."

Derby saw him open his mouth to jeer at her again, so she unsheathed her claws; the words died on his tongue. "Okay, sorry, sorry, I was kidding." He apologized.

Satisfied, the she-cat put her claws back in.

"But you still wouldn't be able to handle it." Ashfall muttered under his breath.

"_Ashfawn_," Derby growled at him. "I can _hear you_."

"For StarClan's sake!" The Thunderclan cat groaned to her, exasperated. "It's not fawn, it's _fall_!"

"Same difference!" Derby insisted, getting close to his face. "Maybe your leader _should've _named you Ashfawn, for being such an arrogant pansy!"

Enraged, Ashfall opened his mouth to retort. "I-"

Suddenly, his speech cut off. He lifted his nose to the air and took in a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" Derby asked nervously, noticing his change in demeanor.

"Strange," The tom muttered, scanning the area around them. "We're on the border of WindClan territory, but I can't seem to smell the Horseplace anywhere near us."

The brown she-cat behind him gaped. "Are you saying we're _lost_? I thought you knew the way!"

He whirled on her. "Excuse me!" The clan cat scoffed. "Who's the one who _lives_ there? You _should_ know the way, but here we are!"

"But you were the one _leading_!" Derby pressed on, irritated with the cat before her. "You said _you knew_ where it was, so I left it up to _you_!"

Ashfall paused for a brief moment, then simply meowed, "You distracted me by being so annoying and persistent."

"_What?_"

The tabby lifted his head up to the night sky, ignoring Derby's outraged yowls; the she-cat could see that the full moon was high up above them and shining brightly, giving them a decent amount of light to continue travelling.

Ashfall sighed forlornly. "Ah, the Gathering must have started already; too bad I couldn't go."

She quieted at his words. "Gathering?" She asked, walking up next to him to stare at the moon also. "Like, Warrior Code…Ten?"

The tom looked down at her, surprised. "You actually remembered it!"

Derby huffed indignantly, offended. "Of course I remembered! With you blabbing nonstop about it, how could I forget?" Her pitch of voice rose in an attempt to imitate Ashfall. "'Oh Derby, why ever did I have to take you back to your pathetic little Twoleg home while I could be at the Gathering, talking it up with beautiful she-cats?'!"

"I don't sound like that." Ashfall corrected bitterly.

The brown she-cat twitched her whiskers. "Yeah, you do. Now come on, we're wasting moonlight; let's go find the Horseplace!"

"We need to scent it out first." The Warrior reminded the other cat. "Or else we'll be wandering forever."

She gave him a 'duh-what-did-you-think-I-was-gonna-do' look, then turned away to face the other direction. She bunched up her muscles, raised her haunches, and took off.

"First one to find a scent wins!" Derby shouted behind her back, cackling with glee.

Accepting the challenge, Ashfall took off right after her, sniffing wildly as he went.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

_It's faint, _Derby concluded after a long while. _But that means it's not close enough. We'll have to keep going._

The Horseplace cat looked back at Ashfall, who had his head held high; his nose wiggled as he sniffed the air. She sighed at his proud posture, wondering why his leader had chosen…_him _of all cats to escort her home_. Guess I'll never find out. _The she-cat thought, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Suddenly, a familiar, warm smell filled her nose; the Horseplace! It was nearby!

"Ashfawn!" She shouted back to the tabby warrior, making him jolt. "I caught a scent! It's this way!"

"Wait for me, Derby!" He called back at her angrily when she slipped under a shrub. "I'm supposed to be your escort!"

She poked her head out long enough to tell him, "You haven't done a good job of it the whole time I've been with you, so why start now?", before retreating back inside the undergrowth.

When Ashfall caught up to Derby, she was trotting along the tree-line, nose high in the air. "Ah!" She exclaimed when the tom came into her vision. "How nice of you to join me, slow poke! Are you ready to _escort _me to the doorstep of the barn?"

"I suppose that's what I was here for in the end," He muttered sarcastically, ignoring her insult about him being slow.

"Well, come on!" Derby urged. "We crossed the border, which means we have to hurry right? What if a WindClan pack-"

"-patrol-"

"-patrol catches us?" The she-cat shivered slightly. "I never want to meet a patrol again; that was a very frightening experience."

"What?" Ashfall asked in disbelief, surprise covering his face. "You were actually scared?"

"Ju-Just a bit! I didn't know what they wanted!" The brown Horseplace cat snapped, instantly defending herself. "One of them just attacked and pinned me for no reason!"

"You were trespassing." Ashfall pointed out, slightly amused.

Derby huffed. "Whatever; I'm not afraid _anymore_. Now, let's just get me home. I miss Jet and Lucy!"

They continued on, Ashfall keeping an eye out for WindClan cats, while Derby led them towards the Horseplace.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

"We're almost there." Derby announced after awhile; she gestured over at a steep hill to their right. "It's just over that boring, useless hill."

"Don't let anyone hear you say that." The ThunderClan cat accompanying her warned. "Clan cats take pride in their territory; if they hear you insulting it, they'll tear your ears off."

Derby flexed her claws at him, smirking. "They won't if I get to them first." _I bet I could take them _now_, _she thought smugly.

Ashfall sighed, muttering something about stubborn she-cats. Paying him no mind, Derby scanned the area, assessing it.

Suddenly, a very familiar voice filled her ears.

"Derby!" It yowled, sounding not too far away. "Are you out there? Please come back!"

_Lucy! _Joy overflowed inside of Derby. _It's Lucy; she's looking for me! I'm almost home!_

Not bothering to inform Ashfall, the brown she-cat bunched up her muscles and took off towards the hill.

"Hey!" The brown and gray tabby yowled after her. "What's the big idea? Slow down!"

But her stride didn't break for a single moment as she carried on towards her destination; determination and excitement fueled her body. She dully noted that from the corner of her eye, she could see Ashfall taking off after her.

By the time Ashfall had reached halfway, however, Derby was already on top of the hill. Feeling exhausted, Derby couldn't help but admit that maybe she _had _overexerted herself just a bit too much.

"I heard…" She gasped aloud to no one, exhausted (she _really _had to work on her stamina. It was just a hill!). "Lucy calling me…" The brown cat tried to take a step down the hill, but because of her weakened limbs, lost her footing and began to tumble backwards off of the hill; a wave of fear consumed her.

_Oh fox-dung, is this going to hurt?_

"Derby!" The she-cat could hear Ashfall yowl. Hearing his voice suddenly made her jolt out of her stupor; she desperately tried to scrabble for a foot-hold, but due to the hill's height and slope, it was futile. Derby closed her eyes. _Oh well._ _Might as well get the pain over with then._

But just as she was about to hit the ground, something warm and soft slid underneath her; they let out an 'Oof' at the impact of her landing on them. _I'm alive, _Derby could only think in a daze. _This thing that I'm laying on top of saved me. I'm alive._

Carefully, her savior stood up and slid her onto the ground; they leaned down close to her and whispered, "Hey, are you okay? You hurt anywhere? Derby. Derby!"

At the sound of her name, Derby pried open her eyes. She blinked her bleary eyes up at the cat, before realization hit her in face; Ashfall had saved her!

Covering up her surprise, she composed herself and got to her feet, trying to act as if nothing happened.

"Augh!" She exclaimed, hoping it sounded believable. "I heard Lucy calling my name; she's looking for me, she's down this hill! Come on, let's hurry it up!"

Derby turned away and started to climb back up the hill, but was abruptly stopped when someone grabbed her scruff. They whirled her around and forced her into a sitting position.

"How could you be so stupid?" Ashfall growled at her. "You could have broken your neck if I didn't catch you!"

Taken aback by his anger, Derby tried to think of an excuse. "It wouldn't have hurt _that _bad." She protested weakly.

He loomed over her, teeth bared. "That bad? You would have died! Lightningstar would've skin me alive if that had happened!"

The brown she-cat tilted her head, confused. "Why would he care?"

"Because when you're assigned a task, you're expected to finish it." The warrior told her stiffly. "That's the _ThunderClan_ warrior code."

"Oh," Derby managed awkwardly, not really knowing what else to say. "I'm sorry then if I, uh, almost made you get in trouble with your leader; I'll try not to fall off of steep hills again."

Ashfall merely sighed, so the brown she-cat took it as forgiveness. "Come on then, clumsy. Let's get you back up this hill and down to your home." He turned on heel and began to climb the hill.

Quickly nodding, Derby scrambled to her feet and followed the tabby.

_When all of this is over, _She thought tiredly. _I'm going to take a nap._

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

When they finally exited the trees and reached Derby's home (Drenched, mind you. A storm had suddenly picked up, and they had been caught right in the middle of it.), the two cats could see Lucy standing a little away from them, still looking around and calling out Derby's name.

The brown she-cat shot Ashfall a smug and knowing look ("Will this be a good enough excuse for running up the hill so fast?" "Shut up."), before taking off towards her best friend.

"Lucy!" She yowled happily, skidding to a halt in front of the other Horseplace feline. "I'm home!"

Upon seeing her friend alive and well, the black she-cat let out a cry of relief and reached over to touch noses with Derby.

"Derby!" The wet kittypet breathed happily. "You're okay! When you didn't come back yesterday, I thought someone had attacked or kidnapped you!"

"Eh…" Derby chuckled awkwardly, flicking her tail nervously. "That's actually kind of what happened."

Lucy looked up at her, disbelief written all across her face; it was then she noticed Ashfall standing behind Derby, shuffling his paws.

"Well, well, well," Lucy remarked, sounding uncharacteristically smug. "Who do we have here?"

"Oh yeah," Derby huffed, rolling her eyes. "This is Ashfawn-"

The tabby in questioning cleared his throat. "My name is Ash_fall_. It's nice to meet you, Lucy. I'm sorry about Derby's sudden disappearance, my clan took her hostage."

Lucy gaped. "What?"

"What he means," The brown she-cat next to her interjected helpfully. "Is that his clan- a group of cats that live together in the forest- took me into their camp because I was trespassing on their territory."

The black kittypet shook her head in exasperation (small water droplets flew as she did so). "What are Jet and I going to do with you Derby?"

Realization suddenly dawned on Derby' face at Lucy's words. "Jet!" She gasped, eyes wide. "I totally forgot about how he would feel! And I never did catch you that mouse; oh mouse dung, I'm terrible!"

Her friend patted her back lightly with her black tail. "It's okay," She soothed the brown cat. "We'll tell Jet you're here, okay?"

Mumbling in agreement, Derby leaned against Lucy; she breathed in her friend's scent, happy to be home.

"Well," Lucy sighed. "I guess it's time for us to head in." She turned to Ashfall, who had been sitting on the side impatiently, watching the scene play out.

"I'm very grateful for you bringing Derby back here," The pregnant she-cat thanked the tom. "I hope you have a safe journey home."

Ashfall nodded briskly. "Thanks. I'll be taking my leave now." He turned to Derby, who was squinting up at him warily.

"Bye Derby." He huffed begrudgingly, avoiding eye contact.

Her response was smacking him in the face with her tail and muttering, "Have fun playing hero, arrogant pansy."

The brown she-cat hid a smirk of triumph when Ashfall began to stutter incoherently in protest. Lucy let out a muffled giggle.

"Good day to both of you." The tom coughed once he regained his composure. He eyed them both, before stepping away and running back into the trees.

Derby, yawning, turned around to head to the barn, but was stopped by Lucy; her childhood friend held a smug look on her face.

"What?" The brown she-cat asked her in confusion.

Lucy's smile widened as she pointed her head towards the direction Ashfall had just left. "So?" Derby pressed on. "What about him?"

The black she-cat shrugged as if it didn't matter, but her deep amber eyes shone with mischief. "He just seemed nice, that's all."

Her intentions were suddenly as clear as day, and Derby couldn't help but scowl at her friend.

"Lucy?" She asked her sweetly.

The other she-cat replied back just as cheery. "Yes?"

"Shut up."

They both let out small 'mrrows' of laughter, enjoying each other's company once again. They both headed off towards the barn, but half-way there, Lucy suddenly stopped; she looked troubled, as if a bad thought had just occurred to her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Derby asked her, concerned.

The black cat simply shook her head at the question and meowed, "I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you earlier, Derby, but I knew you wouldn't like it. It's just…" She paused and heaved a sigh, staring down at her swollen belly.

Derby suddenly felt queasy. "Just what?"

"I heard the Twolegs talking earlier today. Romeo and Magnolia are coming back_._"

* * *

**K.A.K: Haha, dramatic cliffhanger! :P We've vaguely heard of Romeo, but who is this Magnolia cat? Stay tuned for the next chapter! *rubs hands* Muahahahaha...**

**And lol Ashfall's a creeper, disappearing into the bushes all mysterious and stalker-like (I laughed when Erin pointed this out.).**

**Review please! **


	8. Silverpaw: The Inevitable Attack

**K.A.K: We lied about staying tuned to see who Magnolia was, that's coming up in a few more chapters (like two) :P Sorry! But please enjoy this one!**

**Silver-chan: And guess who I brought!**

**Erin: Sorry I was gone!**

**K.A.K: Oi! Where have you been?**

**Erin: Making a contract-deal-thingy.**

**K.A.K and Silver-chan: Eh? Why?**

**Erin: Because as a manager, it's my job! *takes out paper* Okay, so it states-**

**Silver-chan: Wait! The paper's blank!**

**Erin: WHAT.**

**K.A.K: Are you telling me the reason you left at such an important time was to get a stupid piece of paper? You didn't DO anything!**

**Erin: WHAT? Bu-but I- Aurgh, forget it! *tears paper***

**K.A.K: *sighs heavily* You're going to make up for this later...ahem, so anyways, besides that disappointment...**

**Silver-chan: Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

_**Written By: Silver-chan**_

_**Edited By: K.A.K**_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Silverpaw jolted awake to the sound of someone screeching. _Who…Who is that? _

She was suddenly aware of the burning pain in her throat, making her realize that the terrible wailing was coming from none other then herself.

"Silverpaw!" A familiar voice pleaded. "Snap out of it!"

Eventually, the silver tabby's shrieks died down to nothing but a small whimper.

"R-Rainpaw? Sorry! I must have woken you…" The young apprentice scratched her ear as a nervous cover-up. "I was probably having a nightmare, or something! Ehehe!"

Her sister's concerned amber eyes stared straight at her. "Just as long as you're okay…So, um, do you want to go hunt or something?"

Silverpaw's mood brightened at those words; she jumped to her paws, tail now stuck straight in the air. "Yeah! I'm starving!"

On the way out, the silver she-cat accidentally brushed up against a small ginger pelt. Feeling the contact, Brightpaw lifted her head to blink sleepily at the two sisters.

"Good morning, Brightpaw…" Silverpaw murmured. As much as she liked her, Silverpaw couldn't help but think how it was odd that the younger apprentice always danced around her, treating the older like some sort of idol. _I wish she would be that nice to Rainpaw too… _She sighed inwardly._ I_ _don't want my sister to feel bad, or left out! _

Brightpaw's vision seemed to immediately clear when she spotted Silverpaw slowly making her way out of the den; she jumped to her paws (like Silverpaw had earlier), eyes sparkling with excitement. "Silverpaw! Hey, do you want to go hunting with me?"

The she-cat in question flattened her ears, knowing what Brightpaw's reaction would be. "Sorry." She apologized sincerely. "But I'd really like to spend some time with Rainpaw today. Maybe we can tomorrow, okay?"

The reaction was just as expected. The ginger cat hissed slightly when she spotted the light gray tabby standing at the entrance of the den, waiting for Silverpaw. "Of course," She seethed, "Rainpaw just can't bear to go a day without you, huh? Fine then."

_More like_ you _can't go a day without me, Brightpaw! _She shook her head tiredly, and then followed her sister out of the newly constructed den. Out in the clearing, Duskeyes was sharing tongues with Darkcloud.

"Hi, Duskeyes! Darkcloud!" Silverpaw chirped. "How's it going?" Duskeyes purred with amusement, while Darkcloud just stared with a blank face.

"Yeah, so I'm unusually peppy today, what of it?" She muttered upon witnessing their reactions. "So," She continued. "Is Dampfeather comfortable with you all in the nursery? It's getting pretty crowded in there, isn't it? Wait, never-mind, tell me later. I'll see you guys around!"

Not bothering to wait for an answer, the tabby clambered up to the top of the hollow.

"Come on Rainpaw!" She called down to her sibling, who was still standing next to the two warriors. "Hop to it, slow slug! We got some prey to kill!"

And with that, she turned on heel, racing head-on into the gorse and brambles of the forest; Rainpaw took off straight after.

After awhile, Silverpaw couldn't help but be aware of the fact that her sister was lagging behind; she slowed her pace. "What's the matter, Rainpaw?"

The light gray she-cat shook her head awkwardly. Silverpaw noticed that her sister had been looking pretty haggard lately, and couldn't help but tease (after all, the best thing to do was make the mood lighter).

"Rainpaw, you really need to groom more. You are _filthy_. It is absolutely _disgusting_. You _repulsive_ creature." She paused. "Just kidding! But you do look exhausted, and you're fur's all ruffled. Is something the matter?"

Rainpaw squirmed. "Well, um, you see, Darkcloud is having me sprint and battle train in all this forest and bramble here; yesterday's training was kind of rough…so I'm just a bit tired." Silverpaw nodded in understanding.

Their trek continued on.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

"_Silverkit….. Silverkit….." The voice danced around the tabby kit's head, coming out in breathless hisses. _

_The kit struggled to open her eyes, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. _

"_Silverkit…"_

_She reached out a paw, trying to grasp the source of the soft voice, which was drawing her name out in a way that pulled her towards it. _

"_Silverkit…" It continued to whisper._

_Suddenly, small trickles of others voice began to leak in, bringing down the first voice a notch. The new voices were interesting, but the first voice had intrigued her; it sounded forlorn, almost as if it had lost something irreplaceable. Something important… _

_The other voices grew louder. "She'll be fine. She's simply exhausted from her little foray into the woods. You're lucky she wasn't eaten by something!" _

"_Mother? Will Silverkit be ok?"_

"_Oh, Silverkit… wake up!" Slowly, the voices started to die away, eventually replaced by the gentle one._

"_Silverkit…." _

_Finally, the tiny silver tabby managed to open her blue eyes and take in her surroundings; Cloudwatcher was standing over her along with her sister and mother. Ignoring the cats' cries of relief, she jumped to her paws, looking for the voice. _

_The source of the soft calling was a tall she-cat standing by Cloudwatcher. Her fur sparkled, casting off thousands of brilliant beams of light. _

"_Silverkit…" The star-cat called gently. _

_The silver tabby kit stared, mesmerized. She seemed… different, somehow. While all the other cats were rejoicing in the fact that she had awoken, the starry-cat seemed sad. No, sad wasn't the right word… wistful? Yes, the shining cat seemed very, very wistful. _

"_Who's that shiny cat? Mother and Father are acting as if she isn't there!"_

_At the sudden exclamation, Silverkit snapped her head up to meet her sister's eyes; Rainkit could see the cat too?_

"_Let's ask Cloudwatcher…" Silverkit suggested in a daze, still fascinated by the way the stars made the cat's black fur seem like the night sky. _

"_Cloudwatcher," Rainkit whispered. "Can you introduce us to this shiny cat?" _

_The white tom seemed startled. "Shiny cat?" _

_Silverpaw looked up at him, eyes clouded with exhaustion "Yes," She breathed. "This black she-cat. She has brilliant green eyes and stars at the tips of her fur…" _

_The silver and white kit paused and softly inhaled, trying to catch a scent. Did this cat smell like anyone she knew? No… The black she-cat smelled like all the seasons mixed together, along with a strong, clear scent; the sensation made her nose tingle. _

_This cat, Silverpaw concluded in awe, was like the forest and sky itself._

"_Excuse me…" Silverkit piped up nervously. "Are you dead?" _

_The she-cat's eyes narrowed slightly, as if it was a painful subject. "Yes, I am, Silverkit." She murmured. "I died long ago; allow me to tell you the story. I had two very brave and strong brothers. They found the evil that haunted cats, and when it attacked, they vanquished it. They were part of a special prophecy…I thought I was too. But then I did something very bad, and to escape the judgment of my clan, I ran away. I escaped into the deep, dark, winding paths far beneath the earth, and I didn't think I would ever have to see my clan again."_

_She took a shuddering breath and continued. "My brave, strong brothers believed me to be dead. But I was forced to return. And when I did, the true third cat of the prophecy had been revealed to be a distant relative of ours. Silverkit, I wasn't very happy. I believed myself to be special. Now, I have no grudge against the third cat; but I knew coming back would eventually ruin me. In the battle to overpower darkness; I was killed by a vicious foe." The cat's face twisted into a grimace._

"_Since I was not a part of the special prophecy, there was no need to keep me alive. I faded into StarClan. But, unlike me, Silverkit, you are special. You are a very special kit. And Rainkit," She turned to face the other wide-eyed kit. "You are to; though I sense that I am not the cat to guide you."_

_Silverkit gaped as the beautiful she-cat's fur slowly became transparent; the cat also took notice of this and twitched her whiskers. _

"_I trust we will see each other again, Silverkit." The green eyed cat purred lowly. "It is fate. Now, my brave, strong brothers await me. I will go to them." _

_She leaned in close to the silver tabby's ear. "Goodbye," she whispered. "For now."_

_And then the black cat was gone, carried away on the breeze and up into the sky; to the stars._

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

"Okay, one last time…_Silverpaw_!" A sudden roar from behind jolted Silverpaw out of her memories.

"W-what?" Silverpaw stuttered, still startled, to her irritated sister. They were standing in the middle of the forest, a good distance away from the camp; how long had she been spaced out? "Oh, sorry Rainpaw! I had my head up in the clouds, huh?"

The light gray she-cat stayed silent. Silverpaw tried again. "Okay, let's go catch some food now! Come on; don't look at me like that…"

Rainpaw simply huffed and walked ahead; her sister scurried to catch up.

They continued on in silence, Silverpaw contemplating the meaning of the sudden flashback she had had. _Did it mean something? Why did it come up now of all times? What if, _She realized, thoughts drifting to earlier that morning. _It was that memory that I dreamed this morning; and I'm just remembering it now? But, why would I scream...? _

She would have continued her train of thought, but dropped it and squirmed when Rainpaw shot her a strange look; her sister must have been getting suspicious.

"Mouse!" The silver apprentice meowed suddenly, the lie slipping from her lips. "I think I smell a mouse this way. Follow me!"

Then she charged off, not even waiting for her sister's reply. She felt bad abut lying, but insisted to herself that it was for a good cause.

After all, anything was better than Rainpaw looking at her like _that_.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

"Whew! That was some good hunting, huh Rainpaw?" Silverpaw chirped.

Rainpaw nodded in agreement, voice muffled due to the rabbit hanging from her mouth. "I wonder how Derby is." She wondered suddenly, voice barely audible. "Is she eating as well as we are? She does live in the Horseplace, after all."

The silver she-cat could only shrug at her sister's question as they entered the camp. While Rainpaw set the rabbit down onto the fresh-kill pile, Silverpaw slunk over to the apprentices' den. She yawned.

_Hunting and flashbacks wear me out. I think I'll get some rest…_

She curled into a ball, her chest eventually rising up and down in the rhythm of sleep.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Silverpaw blinked open her blue eyes, before slowly shifting to a sitting position; she began to groggily wash her chest. Something had woken her up, she observed sleepily. But it seems they had left.

"Silverpaw, come on…Really, get moving! I said it four times already!"

The silver and white tabby froze mid-lick; guess they hadn't left. Angry at being woken up, she puffed out her fur and made her best glare, turning around only t direct it at...Striketail. Of course!

Her glare didn't lessen at the sight of the warrior; rather it intensified ten times fold. Why? Because he deserved it! The insolent fur ball was always waking her up at the wrong time, he never wanted to sit with her, trying to pin her in battle, and thinking he's better than her-!

"_I have had it_," She suddenly roared, pent up rage spilling out.

Startled by the outburst, the black tom scrambled back out of the apprentices' den; his eyes widened in shock as the silver tabby walked out also and continued.

"Every time you show your face when I'm around, _I will follow you_! You can try to run or hide, _but I will still be there_! And if you do anything to irritate me, _do you know what I am going to do_?"

Striketail's fur bristled twice its size, but he remained in a petrified silence; a few other clan cats silently stuck their heads out of their dens to see what was going on. Silverpaw paid no attention to them.

"I will...do something…_really bad_!" She seethed. "So bad you won't stand on your legs for _a…week_! _You got that_?"

She turned on her heel and marched back to her cozy nest, trying to catch her breath; she was exhausted now. As she settled down, Striketail was merely standing outside the den, looking utterly bewildered.

A brief silence settled across the entire clan before they all burst into a fit of laughter. The yowls of amusement (At Striketail's expense) probably could have been heard by WindClan!

Silverpaw stood up and poked her head out of the den reluctantly._ Well, with everyone so loud now, I won't be able to sleep anyway… _"Um, sorry about that, Striketail." She apologized sheepishly. "I just don't like being woken up. What is it you needed me for…?"

The black tom was at a loss of words, surprised at Silverpaw's rant and sudden mood swing. Just then Brightpaw came stumbling up to the two cats, trying not to keel over from her insane giggling. "Ahaha, wow, Silverpaw!" The ginger cat gasped, practically choking on her words. "That was rib-crushingly _hilarious_! You need t-to do that mo-more often-n! Ahahaha!" She fell on her side, gasping for much needed air.

Silverpaw simply ignored her, instead waited for Striketail's reply. "So?"

"Well, I…" The warrior hesitated, eyeing the silver apprentice before starting again. "U-Um, Lightningstar wanted me to put together a patrol to scope out the WindClan border for any signs of intruders…But I, uh, I guess you'd rather not come…" He flattened his ears in embarrassment.

"No, I'll come! It'll be fun!" The she-cat insisted. "Who else is coming?"

Striketail flicked his tail before replying, "I'll select another cat, and you can get one too. Hurry, or the patrol will leave without you."

Silverpaw straightened up at the last sentence and slipped inside the apprentices' den, knowing exactly who she wanted to come; she was unaware of Striketail watching her leave with a tired sigh. "She really is a crazy one, isn't she?" He murmured as his tail swished in irritation.

Meanwhile, Brightpaw was following after Silverpaw, trying to get her attention. "Hey, Silverpaw, wait! Striketail said you were allowed to select a cat to patrol the WindClan border with you, and him, and another warrior, right? Can you select me? I'm already ready!"

Silverpaw halted where she was and turned to the ginger she-cat, shuffling her paws. "I'm sorry, Brightpaw, really. But not this time, okay? I think I'm going to select R-"

Brightpaw interrupted, pelt bristling. "Rainpaw, right? You're going to select Rainpaw, aren't you? Like usual!" Her ears lied flat on her head. "Are you mad at me, Silverpaw? Did I do something wrong? Is that why you don't want to patrol with me anymore?"

The ginger she-cat looked truly miserable, and Silverpaw couldn't help but feel a bit bad; she could see Rainpaw baring her teeth at Brightpaw from her nest. "Of course not, Brightpaw," The tabby told her gently. "I'm not mad at you. And I'm sorry if you and Rainpaw don't see eye to eye, but could you please try and show each other a little respect? It would make me feel a lot better!"

Brightpaw looked morose, but less so than before. "Okay, Silverpaw; I understand. I hope you two enjoy the patrol." And with that, she slumped down into her nest, head tucked under paws.

Silverpaw scratched her ear awkwardly and murmured to her sister, "Come on. I wonder who Striketail's selected?" Their answer then greeted them at the den entrance.

"Hello!" Ashfall meowed. "Striketail asked me to come and collect you two for the patrol. I'm sure you aren't taking too long, though. He only just now chose me to come, after some long deliberation. Probably just wanted to tease you, Silverpaw."

Silverpaw pouted at this, and then headed off to go and meet Striketail; Ashfall and Rainpaw followed. The black tom was waiting impatiently at the hollow's thicket entrance. "It's about time," He mumbled, his tone the slightest bitter.

_Just like my first fight with him, at the mossy clearing,_ Silverpaw thought absentmindedly. _He seems different this time, though. Less bored?_

"Come on, Silverpaw!" Rainpaw called; they were all leaving, and Silverpaw was lagging.

"Sorry!" The silver tabby shook her head as she ran to catch up to the front of the border patrol.

"This patrol is a bit bigger then what we usually have. Probably because the WindClan leader openly called us fleabags," Rainpaw remarked thoughtfully.

"This is also a very well-prepared patrol. You see, Ashfall and Rainpaw are very quick. If we need help, they can send a message for it faster than Silverpaw and I can. However, Silverpaw and I can defend the territory with our battle skills, if needed. Either way, we win." Striketail explained smugly; Ashfall nodded in agreement. He must have planned this, Silverpaw realized in amusement. Striketail must have assumed she'd pick Rainpaw, so he picked Ashfall.

Suddenly, Rainpaw bristled. "I smell WindClan," She warned.

Ashfall sniffed around. "What? I can't smell it- Oh, you're right! They've smothered the trail with bracken, but I smell the scent!"

Silverpaw hissed and unsheathed her claws; she had caught sight of a white pelt moving beyond some bracken. Flicking her tail as a warning, she alerted the others to the intruder.

"I'll get help," Murmured Rainpaw. She turned they way they had came and took off.

"Ashfall, stay in the trees and wait for WindClan's reinforcements. Then, you can run to camp and let Lightningstar know how many warriors to bring." Striketail ordered.

The gray-brown tom nodded and leaped onto a tree branch. Silverpaw could hear voices, and motioned Striketail to be quiet.

"Ugh! These brambles are pulling at my beautiful coat!" A she-cat's voice whined.

"Hush." Another she-cat scolded. "This is why we're here, remember? Now, when we launch the attack, we'll know what we have to deal with."

"Let's be honest. I could beat five of them by myself." Someone exclaimed smugly.

"Humph." A young voice huffed. "I can beat any old ThunderClan warrior, any day, any place. Everyone knows they're just a bunch of disrespectful warriors who think they can control everyone. They aren't StarClan! We'll show them!"

A deep, gravelly voice chuckled. "That's the spirit, youngster!"

Striketail raised his tail, ready to signal the attack. "Now, ThunderClan! Attack!" Striketail and Silverpaw leapt into the tiny clearing, hissing and puffing up their fur. Five cats, obviously WindClan, spun around.

One of them was Glossyfur, a beautiful white she cat whose fur shone in the afternoon sun; Silverpaw wondered why she had come. _Isn't she a queen?_

The other cats of the party were made up of Heathershine, the young cold-hearted she-cat who was the deputy of WindClan; Flintpad, a gray warrior who looked ready to retire; Sneakpaw, the trash-talking apprentice from before; and Ivyleaf, a tortoiseshell she-cat that was skilled in fighting.

"We'll show you not to come into our territory!" Silverpaw hissed. _Who do these cats think they are? Coming on to _my_ territory, hunting _my_ prey… It's not as if I can't smell the fresh squirrel on them! Insulting _my_ clan, right under my nose…I won't forgive them! Prepare to get cut down, WindClan! _

She let out her fiercest battle screech and sprinted for the nearest cat, Heathershine. The gray deputy rose up to grapple with the younger cat.

"You think you can beat us, apprentice? Let's be honest. There's five of us; skilled, trained, and elite. And what are you two, but a battle-hungry apprentice and her protector?" The she-cat simpered.

_That's _it_!_ Silverpaw reared back and landed a devastating kick on the Windclan deputy. "I will not tolerate this, you-you _steaming pile of fox droppings_!"

While the deputy lay winded, Silverpaw leapt on top of her, trying to shred everything she could with her outstretched claws. However, the gray warrior was much larger than she was, and managed to throw her right into Striketail's side; he lost his balance and fell on top of her, sending a small spike of pain through the silver tabby. She twisted her head so she could look up; the cats had surrounded them!

"Will you tolerate this?" Heathershine taunted, lip curling into a sneer.

A sudden, huger line of WindClan cats stepped over the horizon, their outlines silhouetted in the setting sun. It looked as if they had brought the whole clan!

Breezestar yowled from his perch on a rock to the two determined ThunderClan cats. "Just give up now, weaklings. You know this is a fight you can't win."

Silverpaw looked towards the bushes, noticing hw many of them were rustling; help was here! A plan forming in her mind, she slowly began to back away. Striketail looked at her with wide eyes.

"What? Silverpaw, are you running away?" His eyes were filled in disbelief. "You can't, Silverpaw! That's cowardly! I thought you wanted to fight!"

Breezestar let at a booming laugh at Striketail's horrified expression. "The silver tabby has the right idea, warrior. You should follow her lead."

Silverpaw narrowed her eyes. "Silver tabby?" She meowed indignantly. "You know my name! _Are you trying to look cool_?"

Just then Ashfall and Rainpaw ran out from the bushes, teeth and claws bared. Breezestar was obviously unaware of the fact that the two new arrivals had gone and gotten help, so that left them two options; either her clanmates were here or they were not. Silverpaw looked at her sister pleadingly, and felt immense relief when Rainpaw nodded slowly. _Thank StarClan! _

The WindClan leader chuckled in bemusement. "Your back-up is one and a half cats? Haha!"

"And that's where you're wrong, Breezestar." A tom's voice emanated from the tree line; WindClan froze, knowing fully well who it was.

"ThunderClan, attack!" Legions of Thunderclan cats suddenly came pouring out of the bushes, making the battle an even match; Lightningstar stopped next to Striketail and Silverpaw.

"Good thinking, Silverpaw." The apprentice's leader complimented. "It was smart of you to send the fastest cat in all four clans to go get help. Rest assured, because of your quick thinking, ThunderClan will win this battle." And with that, the ginger leader leaped into the chaos.

Silverpaw turned to her sister. "Wow, you really are fast! If you hadn't gotten help so quick, we would've been crow-food by now-!" The words were knocked out of her mouth as a brown pelt rammed into her side._ Snakefang!_

Before she could make a move, however, his weight was thrown off. "Rainpaw!"

The mottled gray apprentice was struggling to get in a good swipe, but the brown warrior now had her pinned. Silverpaw leaped onto Snakefang's back, using her claws to slice open his back with her claws. She quickly slipped under him before he could retaliate, and kicked him; he was sent hurtling into a bush.

"That'll leave a mark," Rainpaw commented, panting slightly.

"I'll bet!" Silverpaw agreed, and then launched herself into a fighting frenzy. Anything that wasn't Thunderclan, shred it! She soon lost track of how many warriors she had clawed, kicked, bitten, or pummeled by the time she came face to face with the snarling gray deputy of WindClan.

"Heathershine," The silver tabby hissed.

The deputy glared at her before hissing, "You've made a fool of me! For that, you'll pay, apprentice!" The gray she-cat launched herself at Silverpaw.

_Trying to work against her weight will be difficult, _Silverpaw observed, rooting her paws to the ground. _So I'll just have to work with it. I'm lighter, therefore faster! See if you can take my battle technique, you crazy moor cat! _

She waited until the last possible second, before rolling to the side quickly. Heathershine's momentum carried her past Silverpaw, which put the silver tabby at a better position to attack. While the WindClan deputy was recovering from her rushed attack, the Thunderclan apprentice aimed a kick at the she-cat's flank.

Hissing in pain, Heathershine turned around to swipe at the silver apprentice. Silverpaw flinched and ducked. _Ultra-cool Silverpaw battle move number three! _She flattened her ears and slammed her head into Heathershine's ribcage.

When there was no attack in reply, the young she-cat opened her eyes. _Why isn't she attacking me? Did she run away? _

Heathershine was standing a few feet away from Silverpaw, her face contorted into one of pain as she panted. WindClan's deputy was right on the edge of the river, above a section with sharp, deadly rocks. The dark gray she-cat stared coldly at Silverpaw, and crouched, obviously readying herself to charge at the apprentice. The tabby gulped, waiting for Heathershine to rush at her; but the deputy's attack never came.

Silverpaw's eyes widened in horror as the earth underneath Heathershine started to crumble; the dirt must have been softened from the water. Before she knew it, her body had surged forward and was racing towards the WindClan cat. _True warriors don't kill! This wasn't supposed to happen! _She propelled her legs faster.

The young gray she-cat had tried her best, but it was too late. The ground beneath Heathershine disappeared and she was sent plummeting into the water.

"No! _Heathershine!_" Flintpad yowled, who had seen the deputy fall. The gray she-cat has sunk into the rushing water below; when she did not surface, Silverpaw inhaled sharply and gazed at the spot where the WindClan cat had once been.

"W-what happened?" She gasped.

"It isn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything to save her; she would have stepped on that fragile ledge, regardless of you battling her." Rumbled a deep voice from behind her. She turned to see Lightningstar and nodded sadly at him; he nodded back.

"WindClan! Retreat! Retreat!" Breezestar's voice suddenly called from across the river. All the moor cats were turning tail and running away! Silverpaw flicked her tail in satisfaction. ThunderClan had won the battle!

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

ThunderClan limped back to camp, injured but proud.

"ThunderClan!" Lightningstar called as he leaped up onto the Highledge. "We must call a clan meeting! Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join under the Highledge!"

The throng of wounded cats assembled as Cloudwatcher weaved around, applying a wrap or poultice to every cat that needed it. "Today was a victory well won." Their leader began. "And it is all thanks to today's border patrol; Striketail, Ashfall, Silverpaw and Rainpaw!" The clan's voices rose into a cheer.

Once the sound died down, Lightningstar resumed his speech. "Striketail created a battle plan for a small group while waiting for reinforcements; Silverpaw led a brave attack and bought valuable time; Ashfall brought us valuable information about the enemy; and maybe most importantly, Rainpaw dashed to camp just in time to provide help!"

The clan rose up into an uproar once again, this time led by Silverpaw. "Rainpaw! Rainpaw!"

_She deserves the praise! After all, we would have been mince meat without her! _The silver tabby thought proudly.

"This clan meeting is dismissed!" Lightningstar announced. "Treat your injuries! We rest in victory tonight!"

The tired cats all departed to their respectful dens; Silverpaw tried to do the same, but Cloudwatcher reached her and gasped.

She quickly shook herself out, trying to detect injuries; she was sore, but no wounds. She had made an effort to not engage any of the senior WindClan warriors besides Heathershine, but maybe she had a gash so bad she couldn't feel it!

"Silverpaw! You're covered in blood!" Cloudwatcher tried to urge her towards the medicine den. "Hurry!"

"What?" Working up the courage, Silverpaw looked down at her pelt; it was covered in blood!

"No, I feel fine!" She exclaimed to ThunderClan's medicine cat. "Really! I think its WindClan blood. I'll wash it all off, but please, check on Rainpaw! I lost track of her in the battle."

Cloudwatcher stared with concern, uncertain. "Please?" She pleaded. The plush tom sighed, finally giving in and heading off to the other side of camp; Silverpaw followed.

As she wandered around with Cloudwatcher, Silverpaw spotted kept an eye out for her sister. Eventually she found her, but something wasn't quite right… "Rainpaw?"

Her sister's pelt was covered in a bright red liquid, which was obviously blood. "Whose blood is this?" Silverpaw panicked, fretting over Rainpaw. "Are you okay?"

The gray she-cat looked at her sister and nodded. "I'm pretty sure it's WindClan's blood. What about you? Enemy's blood only?"

The silver tabby purred, nodding also. _Thank StarClan she's not hurt!_

"Let's go wash this all off!" Silverpaw suggested, nudging her sister. "The 'pond' near the lake should be good."

The two sisters set out for the small puddle of water and couldn't help but notice the sky slowly getting dimmer.

"It's starting to get dark out…" Rainpaw observed, a nervous edge to her voice. "Let's get this done fast, okay?"

Silverpaw nodded; the moon had begun to show itself, unusually brighter than most nights. But at least they would be able to find their way back, Silverpaw realized with relief.

Suddenly, the silver she-cat caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent. "Wait." Silverpaw paused, looking around; she motioned for her sibling to stop also. "Something isn't right here. It smells a little off."

They snuffled around for a minute, but found nothing. "Uh, Silverpaw?" Rainpaw piped up. "I'm getting creeped out. Can we maybe just wash this stuff off tomorrow?"

Silverpaw nodded, beginning to feel uneasy; night had officially fallen. The siblings turned around to head back to the hollow, but a huge creature suddenly blocked their path. The huge fox slunk towards them, teeth bared, blood-hungry. Rainpaw and Silverpaw backed away, terrified. _Well there's the answer. _Silverpaw couldn't help but think bitterly.

"Didn't we chase this fox out of Clan territory a half moon ago?" Cried Rainpaw.

"Yeah! We were both in that patrol!" Silverpaw confirmed; the fox was getting closer, so she took a step back.

Rainpaw gulped. "Well then, I guess there's only one thing we can do…"

* * *

**K.A.K: Another cliffhanger! (^.^) But we won't leave you hanging (haha) this time, promise.**

**Silver-chan: And if it wasn't obvious, the whole _italicized _scene was a flashback.**

**K.A.K: Silver tried to make it spooky *jazz hands***

**Silver-chan: *looks around* Hey, where's Erin?**

**K.A.K: Eh? She's not here?**

**Silver-chan: *sighs* She probably left again to go and fix her paper-contract-thingy.**

**K.A.K: But the next chapter is hers! Geez! Okay, I'll go find her, you stay here and monitor the story! *grabs rope and sunglasses, then races away* Later!**

**Silver-chan: Bye... Anyways, please Review! :D**


	9. Rainpaw: The Name Fits

**Silver-chan: ...**

***opens mouth, then closes it***

**Sooooo...**

**********Oh yeah! We will soon be posting a side story (or prequel kinda-sorta) for this series called Goldenleaf's Betrayal! It might be awhile until we post the prologue, but look forward to it!**

**********...**

**Okay, well, K.A.K isn't back with Erin yet so...**

***takes deep breath*  
**

**ENJOY THE CHAPTER! :D**

* * *

**Written**_** By: Erin**_

_**Edited By: K.A.K**_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_"Well then, I guess there's only one thing to do…"_

But before Rainpaw could say anything else, the fox lunged at Silverpaw, who was frozen in fear; its eyes gleamed with blood-lust. Rainpaw's eyes widened. "Silverpaw!" She yowled in alarm, racing over to stand in front of the other she-cat. "I won't let you hurt my sister!" The gray tabby snarled, and then bunched up her muscles before launching off in attack.

It was almost as if time had slowed down. The fox, still in mid-air, was suddenly sent crashing to the ground as Rainpaw rammed into its shoulder. Rainpaw landed right after, her fur bristling, her back arched; she hissed lowly, pearly white teeth glinting dangerously.

The fox struggled to its paws, giving the apprentice time to comprehend the situation. But as soon as she realized what had just been done, the fox had had recovered and was snarling. Rainpaw's insides grew cold as the fox took a step towards her; now that the threat was directed away from Silverpaw, the courage that had fueled her slipped away.

Suddenly, the fox let out an abnormal shriek and lunged towards her. The mottled gray apprentice inhaled sharply, fear paralyzing her body; a sliver blur leaped in front of her at the last moment. Also seeing the blur, the fox tried to back-pedal its attack, but it was far too late. As soon as the large creature was in striking position, Silverpaw slashed her claws across its face.

The fox let out a yelp and fell to the ground in front of them with a _Thud_. Now standing by her sister, Rainpaw observed the fox for a few heartbeats. The claw marks on its face were long and deep, far too large to be made by a cat as small as her sibling.

_Those couldn't be the same claw marks Silverpaw gave it!_ Rainpaw thought in disbelief; as if to placate her worries, her eyes subtly shifted over to Silverpaw's paws. Her claws were still out, and Rainpaw did a double-take upon seeing them. Silverpaw's claws were larger than the fox's! _How did they get so big? _

"Hey, why are you just standing there?" Rainpaw jolted as Silverpaw spoke up. "We need to find out what to do about the fox before it comes to its senses!"

The gray tabby couldn't help but look her sister up and down; the silver she-cat's chest was still heaving, and her fur was lightly splattered with some of the fox's blood. Rainpaw figured she looked the same, minus the blood part.

"Oh…uh…yeah…" Rainpaw stuttered, her head pounding in confusion. What was happening here?

Suddenly, without warning, the fox stood up abruptly, and the sisters had to jump back. The larger creature's eyes blazed with fury, and blood was leaking down its muzzle.

Rainpaw whimpered quietly at the sight. "Oh StarClan, help us!"

"Rainpaw." A soft, yet firm voice demanded; Rainpaw turned to look at her sister's determined face. "Listen. We can fight it off. There are two of us. Besides, it can't be that hard to chase it off again. We've done it before."

"But last time we had a bunch of warriors with us!" Gasped Rainpaw "And so what if there's two of us? This fox is huge!"

Silverpaw didn't have time to calm her sister down, as the fox had begun to advance on them. Its jaws were foaming and its growling came out in gurgles. Rainpaw stared straight into its bleary eyes; only the desire to kill could be seen in its eyes.

"Why is it taking so long to attack us?" Silverpaw muttered into Rainpaw's ear.

The gray tabby whispered back. "It's confused."

_It's already half dead, so it shouldn't be hard to take down_. Rainpaw reassured herself, her mind churning. _We might just be able to do this!_

Without giving it a second thought, Rainpaw turned to Silverpaw, ready to tell her of her split-second plan. "Silverpaw! Run! Run back to camp and don't look back!"

Silverpaw turned to her with complete and utter shock. "No! I will not leave you here, Rainpaw! _Are you mad_?"

"Just go! I know what I'm doing, go back and get help! Hurry, before this stupid fox remembers how to attack!" The gray she-cat's voice could barely be heard over the fox's deranged growls; how could the clan not have heard what was happening?

"If I run, it will charge at us! We have to keep still!" Silverpaw insisted. "I remember Wildfire told me this on the first day of training!"

Rainpaw let out a snarl of impatience at her sister's stubbornness. "Just _go_!"

Both siblings stilled for a heartbeat, simply staring at one another. Then shaking her head as if she was going to later regret her action, Silverpaw turned away and took off running. Noticing the movement, the fox tried to chase after the silver tabby. Rainpaw panicked.

"_NO_!" She yowled at the top of her lungs, and the fox paused at the sound; it looked confused, as if debating whether to go for the prey that was moving or the one that was standing still. Finally making up its mind, the orange creature took a step in the direction Silverpaw had left. Fear coursed through Rainpaw's body, and she frantically looked for a source of distraction. It was then she spotted thick undergrowth a little a ways; it was the place Darkcloud had trained her! Rainpaw's amber eyes lit up.

Without thinking, she dived right into a bramble thicket. Pain prickled at Rainpaw's body, but she continued to brush against the thorns as if they were soft grass blades. Rainpaw could feel them rip at her fur, blood slowly dripping out of multiple cuts. The bramble thicket around her was covered in scarlet, and the tabby felt sick at the sight.

The she-cat swallowed thickly when the fox turned in her direction, obviously smelling the blood. Not even wasting a moment, the fox began to run at her at top speed. Startled into action, Rainpaw dashed away into the thick under-growth. The larger animal chased after her, the smell of her blood keeping it on course. As the apprentice continued in further, she began to feel reassured; she knew this place. It was dark and it was hard for her to see, but she remembered every bush here. Darkcloud had made sure of that.

Sliding under thickets and bushes and other shrubbery, Rainpaw had no time to think of a real plan._ I guess I'll just have to buy us time here in the under-growth until Silverpaw gets back with help,_ Thought Rainpaw, looking back to check how close the fox was. The large, utterly confused animal was still racing toward her, its tongue lolling out as it chased what it thought to be its next meal.

As it ran, it took no time to slide through or under things, but instead, tore everything in its path. Hawthorn bushes flew to the side as it got closer to Rainpaw. Its eyes were small and beady, never looking away from her blood-soaked fur.

_It's getting closer! _ Rainpaw turned back to what was in front of her and put on a new burst of speed._ I know I'm faster, so I can't go too far ahead or it may lose interest! _She thought, nowclosing in on an area she knew all too well.

All that surrounded her now were sharp, black thorns in a tunnel formation. Rainpaw stopped at the entrance, her eyes squinted in determination. The gray apprentice turned at the noise of growling; the fox was right behind her. Its breath billowed down on her, warm and reeking of crow-food; it sharp fangs were inches from her face.

Acting on instinct, Rainpaw bolted through the tunnel. The confused fox began to hurry after her, but abruptly stopped and let out a pained yelp. Puzzled, Rainpaw looked back to see the fox wasn't following her anymore

The fox was tangled in the thorns, whimpering in agony. The creature was much too large for the tunnel and had gotten stuck. Rainpaw let out a meow of triumph, but cut herself off at the sound of a twig snapping. She whipped her head around, coming face to face with a gray tabby tom.

He was about the same size as Rainpaw and looked quite young, indicating that he was an apprentice. But he was not one of Thunderclan. Rainpaw knew that she had seen him before, but she couldn't remember where from.

Instead, the young tabby she-cat took a defensive stance and snarled. "Who are you and why are you on Thunderclan territory?"

The tom merely stood there, pale blue eyes not directed at her, but at the fox behind her. The creature had stopped trying to escape, now simply sitting and whimpering every few moments.

Rainpaw paid no mind to the fox, instead continuing her interrogation; her tail twitched impatiently. "Well?"

Then suddenly, a wave of exhaustion overtook her, and she staggered at the force of it. The mottled gray tabby panted, feeling dizzy from the effort of staying on her paws; her vision was now blurry, and she was unable to see straight.

Finally, the apprentice gave in to the darkness, crashing to the ground next to the gray tom's paws.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Rainpaw was standing in a meadow of soft green grass and many different wildflowers.

The place was surrounded by trees that seemed to shimmer with stars; the sky above was black, but nonetheless mesmerizing. The apprentice was too busy consuming her surroundings to notice that a cat had approached her.

"Hello there, Rainpaw." The unknown cat greeted. The gray tabby jolted, then whirled around to find a golden she-cat with stars at the tips of her fur walking toward her; her green eyes sparkled like the stars in the trees, Rainpaw thought suddenly.

"How do you know my name?" Rainpaw blurted, unable to stop the questions from coming out. "Where am I? Am I dead?"

The golden she-cat only shook her head and sat down in front of the light gray tabby apprentice. "All answers will be revealed in good time." She told the young cat in a gravelly voice.

Rainpaw blinked a couple of times, before giving in and settling down next the older she-cat; she felt oddly relaxed. "So…am I dead?" Rainpaw repeated quietly, head bowed. She jumped, startled by the answer that followed.

"Of course you're not dead!" Growled the golden she-cat loudly, her green eyes wide as if fearful of the thought. "It is not your time to die. You have a destiny to fulfill before your death, after all." Her voice quieted towards the end, becoming much more softer.

"A destiny? What kind of destiny?" Rainpaw tilted her head in curiosity.

The reply was the same as earlier. "As I said before, all answers will be revealed in good time."

"Why can't you just tell me now?" Rainpaw asked impatiently, huffing like a kit that didn't get what they wanted.

The starry she-cat's voice was a whisper as she responded. "You are not ready for the powers you posses, nor the reason behind them."

Rainpaw's eyes lit up. "Powers? I have powers? Cool! Can I have them now?"

The starry she-cat abruptly stood up and thrust her face into the mottled gray apprentice's, growling. "With great power comes great responsibility. We will decide when to give you your full powers."

Rainpaw didn't even flinch at the motion, instead looking at her with a bewildered look. "_We_?"

The golden cat backed away, and dipped her head slightly. "Yes. I am a StarClan cat. My name is Goldenleaf; I was the medicine cat before Cloudwatcher." Sorrow and regret were flickering in her gaze. Rainpaw stared silently, before speaking up again.

"So I have powers…" The young gray tabby murmured thoughtfully. "Does that mean I'm special?" Excitement welled up inside her at the thought. Goldenleaf gave the apprentice a hard stare before letting out a sigh and answering.

"Yes, you are very special indeed. But I don't believe that you are ready for what powers you hold just yet." After a pause, she added, "And you must not tell anyone! Do you hear me? Anyone! Only you may know of this; keep to yourself."

Rainpaw let out a gasp. "Not even Silverpaw? But I tell my sister everything!"

Goldenleaf grunted, unfazed at Rainpaw's distraught; her fur began to look transparent. "There is no need to tell her. You'd be wasting your time, anyway."

The gray she-cat blinked up at the older golden one. "What do you mean?" She tried to ask, but Goldenleaf had already started to fade away.

"Wait! Come back!" The apprentice wailed as her vision started to darken. But it was too late; she was no longer in StarClan.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Rainpaw blinked open her amber eyes, only to find pale blue ones staring at her. Startled, her fur bristled. In front of her was the young gray tabby tom from before. Rainpaw hissed at the tom that stood over her, batting her paws in the air to try and hit his face.

"Calm down!" Demanded the cat firmly. Rainpaw ignored him, desperately trying to land a blow while lying down.

The tom let out an irritated groan. "I said stop and let me help you!" He suddenly placed a heavy paw on her chest, making her choke slightly and stop what she was doing.

"Who are you? What's going on?" Rainpaw asked in a hurry, while trying to nudge off the intruder's paw. The tom before her seemed rather calm (if not slightly exasperated), making the she-cat dislike him even more.

"You passed out." He replied, the word 'duh' present in his tone. "So I sat here with you until you woke up."

Rainpaw's fur instantly stopped bristling. "You…stayed with me until I woke up?" She didn't expect an answer to her mouse-brained question, of course. After a moment of awkward silence, Rainpaw decided to speak up again. "How long was I out?"

The strange tom waited a moment before replying. "Not too long."

There was silence once more as Rainpaw tried to keep her consciousness. The night was still and all that could be heard was the small pitiful whimpering of the _still_ trapped fox (it was a wonder it hadn't escaped by then).

Suddenly, a warm breeze blew by, filling her nose with an all too familiar scent. "You're from WindClan!" She spat at the gray tom angrily, realization crashing down on her.

The gray tabby tom blinked his pale blue eyes at her for a moment, as if startled by her sudden accusation; then, his eyes narrowed. "Yes, I'm of WindClan." He rolled his eyes, but let go of her; she jumped to her paws. "I'm Sneakpaw."

Rainpaw's fur bristled once again, her fur tinted silver in the moonlight. "What are you doing on ThunderClan territory? I thought we chased you out!" Anger rushed through the small she-cat's body.

He huffed, but looked somewhat shaken by her sudden anger. "I was...uh…"

"Spit it out!"

Sneakpaw let out a heavy sigh. "I was angry at the fact that we were beaten in our fight with ThunderClan, so I decided to help by offering to scout out more of your territory." His voice was laced with reluctance, as if the only thing making him talk was the hostile she-cat in front of him (it was). "I thought that all of your warriors would be asleep at this time of night, so I figured I wouldn't get caught." He lashed his tail. "You've proven me wrong."

As Rainpaw listened to his story, she could hear a slight trace of guilt in his voice; it was faint, but there. And yet, the fact that he had passed onto her territory, knowing fully well what he was doing, over-ruled her sympathy.

_At least I know where he gets his name from,_ the gray she-cat thought bitterly. _It fits._

When the tom finished, he silently shuffled his paws and avoided Rainpaw's angry stare. A heartbeat passes by, before Sneakpaw spoke up again; his words caught Rainpaw off guard.

"I'm sorry." Said Sneakpaw, not looking up from his paws. "I only did what I thought was right. I felt that I was helping my clan."

He glanced up at Rainpaw, and the she-cat suddenly felt breathless; his eyes were like shallow pools of crystal water. Realizing what she was thinking, she snapped herself out of her stupor and evaluated the situation. _Well,__ I can't blame him for wanting the best for his clan. I probably would have done the same for my clan as well._

"That still doesn't mean you can trespass." Rainpaw reminded him sternly.

Sneakpaw let out a sigh, rolling his eyes. "I know." He huffed. "I'm sorry." His pale blue eyes suddenly widened. "Are you going to tell your clan now? I wouldn't blame you if you did." He glanced away, his voice tight; Rainpaw could tell that deep inside, he truly felt sorry.

"Listen," She told him softly, "If you leave now, I won't tell anyone about this. Okay?"

His whipped back to face her, eyes filled with immense relief, but grunted aloud, "Thanks."

Rainpaw felt the inside of her stomach churn with mixed emotions; she wanted to alert ThunderClan of the trespass, but at the same time, wanted to keep the Windclan apprentice safe. _I'm not betraying my clan or anything, _The gray tabby she-cat insisted to herself, _what they don't know can't hurt them, right?_ Rainpaw was shook from her thoughts when she realized that the Sneakpaw was staring at her.

"What?"

Starting at the sound of her voice, the tom quickly averted her gaze, only to look back again almost shyly(?). "Sorry…" He muttered awkwardly, ears flat.

"You should get going. Some of our warriors will probably be here soon." Rainpaw explained quickly, dismissing his apology. If cats came now, her promise to the other apprentice would mean nothing.

The tom nodded, but stayed put. "Well? Get going then." The gray she-cat urged impatiently.

"Um…Well…It's just..." He looked conflicted, accidentally tripping over his words as he tried to speak. Rainpaw let out a sigh; she couldn't deal with this right now.

"Just spit it out already for StarClan's sake!"

Sneakpaw inhaled a deep breath before speaking; his voice sounded gruff. "Well, I wanted to ask you something before I left."

Rainpaw stared at the gray tom suspiciously. "Yes?"

He breathed deeply through his nose, an exasperated(?) expression on his face. "I know that we just met and all but… I was hoping that maybe we could meet up again."

Rainpaw blinked at the tom, confused._ Did he really just ask me that? _

"Why would you-"

"It's just to ask you something!" He blurted suddenly, cutting her off. "But I don't have time right now, so-"

The words died abruptly on the tom's tongue as both apprentices heard a voice in the distant. "Over here! I think I found her!" Sneakpaw's eyes narrowed at the sound.

"Hurry! Get out!" Rainpaw growled urgently.

But the other cat stayed still, unamused. "You still haven't answered me."

Rainpaw could hear the rustling of bushes now; the voices were getting closer. "Fine! I'll meet you here again tomorrow night! _Now get out of here!_"

Before she could even finish her words, Sneakpaw was bolting away. But just before he left, Rainpaw could have sworn that she saw a flicker of joy and relief in his gaze; she shook her head fiercely, mind whirling. She must have imagined it.

Then, out of the bushes, stepped Stormysky; followed by Fernfrost, Wildfire, Rushtail, and Striketail. Her father immediately ran up to her, pressing his muzzle to hers. "Rainpaw! Are you okay? There's blood all over you!"

Rainpaw could only sit there in a daze as her father fretted over her. He may be deputy, but he had a soft spot for his kits. While Stormysky was with her, examining her wounds, the other warriors circled the area around the fox.

"What should we do about this?" Fernfrost's voice inquired. The tortoiseshell and white she-cat was staring at the fox with a fearful gaze; Rushtail swiftly moved between the fox and his mate upon seeing the look.

"Let the other warriors figure that out." The tom told her softly. "You go and see if Rainpaw is alright." He rested his brown tabby tail on Fernfrost's shoulder.

The she-cat nodded, and then wandered her way over towards Rainpaw. The mottled gray apprentice had started to feel light headed again and her wounds seemed even worse then when she had first gotten them.

"Stormysky…she doesn't look too good." Said Fernfrost nervously.

"Let's hurry and take her to the medicine den; we must be quick." Stormysky explained urgently, nudging Rainpaw to walk. Fernfrost was on the other side, trying her best to support the apprentice.

"Where's Silverpaw?" Rainpaw slurred, nudging Fernfrost with her muzzle.

"It's okay," The tortoiseshell soothed. "She's back at camp, and we'll be there soon."

Rainpaw didn't remember much after that; everything was a blur as she made her way back to camp; but she could vaguely recall Stormysky continuously trying to keep her awake.

Clan cats surrounded her as she entered the medicine den. Once she was lying in one of the nests, Cloudwatcher started to push every cat away; including Stormysky and her frantic mother Puddlesplash.

Once they were all gone, the white tom bent down next to her ear and whispered, "It's alright. You can rest now."

Satisfied with those words, Rainpaw immediately closed her eyes, giving into sleep.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

When Rainpaw finally opened her eyes, she was still lying in the medicine cat den; Cloudwatcher was nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, she slowly got to her paws, only to fall right back down. Her limbs felt sore, making it hurt too much to stand.

The apprentice struggled for a bit, before giving up and making a whining noise as she sat down. Cobwebs covered her still-bloodied pelt, and the scent of fox was still present; thankfully, the herbs that had been rubbed on her blocked most of the smell out.

"Rainpaw!" A sudden voice called. Slowly, Rainpaw looked up to see Silverpaw rushing over to her, frantic. "Rainpaw! Are you okay? You were so brave, but I still can't believe you did that you mouse-brain! You could have been killed!" Rainpaw couldn't stop herself from snorting as her sister rambled on.

"I missed you too." Rainpaw then purred, looking her sister up and down as she spoke. "Now enough about me; how are your wounds?". Her sister's silver fur was sleek and smooth like always, and was no longer covered in dried up blood. There were only a couple scratches here and there, but other than that, Silverpaw seemed fine.

"I'm okay, it wasn't that bad." Silverpaw reassured. "It's you that we should worry about."

"Why? Did Cloudwatcher say I wasn't going to be fine?" Rainpaw asked, trying her best to sit up as her sibling examined her.

"No, Cloudwatcher only said you would need rest and let your wounds heal a bit."

Relieved, the gray tabby leaned around her sister and peered outside of the den. It was now the middle of the day, and Rainpaw was starving; as if agreeing, her stomach growled loudly. The silver tabby next to her blinked before letting out a bark of laughter.

"I'll go get you something to eat. You must be hungry." Silverpaw chortled, giving her sister a quick lick on the ear before slipping out of the den. On her way out, she brushed by Flashpaw, who was trying to shoulder his way past (Silverpaw shot him a look, but he ignored it).

Once he was in, the ginger tom bolted straight for Rainpaw, his yellow eyes huge; Rainpaw drew back in alarm, but he didn't stop until he was standing right in front of her.

"Rainpaw, you're awake!" He panted, sides heaving. Rainpaw began to nod hesitantly, but stopped when Flashpaw froze. Confused, the she-cat tilted her head, only to realize that the tom was staring at something behind her. Turning her head slowly, the gray tabby instantly spotted a ginger she-cat, eyes unreadable and expression blank.

"Brightpaw!?"Rainpaw gasped.

_She must have snuck in here while Flashpaw was making his way over to me, _The gray she-cat thought, trying to figure out how she had missed seeing the other she-cat enter.

As if reading her mind, Brightpaw bared her teeth and looked away. Rainpaw turned back to Flashpaw, who was glaring at his sister; sitting next to him now was Loudpaw (_Where are all these cats coming from?_ Rainpaw thought in exasperation.). The ginger and white tom was staring at her, his mossy green eyes fearful.

"What's wrong?" Rainpaw asked him, tilting her head in confusion once again. When he didn't reply, she figured he hadn't heard her; but a second later he jumped slightly and turned to face the tabby.

"Oh, w-what?" Loudpaw stuttered. "Sorry…! It's nothing!" He looked away, ears flat.

Rainpaw twitched slightly in frustration before side-ways glancing at Flashpaw. He seemed frightened too._ Why do they look so scared of me?_ Rainpaw had never felt so puzzled in her life. She opened her mouth to confront them all, but a dark gray figure slipped inside the den before she could.

"Alright all of you, why don't you let Rainpaw rest and go find your mentors?" Stormysky hadn't even finished speaking before Brightpaw bolted out of the den; Loudpaw followed slowly behind, casting nervous looks back at the injured tabby as he went. It took Flashpaw longer to leave. It was obvious that he wanted to stay, but seeing as he couldn't go against the deputy's word, he found his way out quietly.

Now alone with her father, Rainpaw felt much better, sort of at peace. There were no more frightened stares, only a loving father. Stormysky made his way to her nest and settled down next to her.

"So…what happened to the fox?" The young apprentice asked after a moment of silence. Her father looked somewhat conflicted by the question, but replied anyway.

"The fox got away. We thought that the thorns had caused it to lose too much blood and die, but we were wrong."

Rainpaw's jaw dropped a bit as the deputy continued. "We unwrapped the thorns around it- not wanting to keep a rotting fox carcass there- but it ran as soon as it was free. We tried to chase it, but we lost it." He was now looking anywhere besides his daughter, surprisingly nervous.

"Sorry," The gray tom mumbled finally. "We tried our best."

Rainpaw stared up at Stormysky silently, taking in what she had just heard. "It's alright." She eventually managed. "Like you said, you did the best you could." She then continued lightheartedly. "Not every cat is as fast as me, after all."

The older cat's blue eyes sparkled, understanding her intentions. But before either of them could say more, Silverpaw entered with a shrew in her jaws. She dropped the prey next to Rainpaw, then settled down on the other side of her sister. Rainpaw let out a purr at this, but stopped when a thought came to her.

"Where's Darkcloud?"

Stormysky gave her a look as if she had asked where the dirt-place was, but answered anyways. "He's busy 'guarding' the nursery at the moment. Oh! Speaking of the nursery, your mother wishes you would come and see her, but I told her you couldn't until you were fit enough to do so." The sentence ended a bit harshly, but Rainpaw ignored it.

"I am fit enough!" The gray tabby protested, getting to her paws. As soon as her legs were straight, however, she tumbled back down with a grunt of pain.

"I'll go get Cloudwatcher!" Silverpaw offered quickly upon seeing her fall, racing out of the den to find the clan's medicine cat. Rainpaw turned to face her father sadly.

"Stormysky, why do cats keep giving me odd stares?" The young she-cat questioned lowly, frustrated by her own obliviousness. The large gray tom just stared at her, as if he didn't dare speak.

_Why can't anyone just answer me? How hard is that?_ She opened her mouth, ready to explode, but Silverpaw suddenly slipped inside the den, along with a plush white tom; the gray tabby's jaw shut close.

"What seems to be the problem?" Asked the medicine cat, observing Rainpaw with calculating eyes. The cat in question tried to speak up, but her voice became muffled when her father slapped his tail over her mouth.

He leaned close to Cloudwatcher and whispered something into his ear. Rainpaw couldn't see her father's expression or hear what he was saying, for he was not facing her. But Cloudwatcher was, his face staying the same and only changing for a slight moment. (In conclusion, it didn't help Rainpaw's curiosity at all.)

For a short period time Rainpaw couldn't hear what they were talking about, so she merely sat there, kneading the ground impatiently with her paws. Then suddenly, her father walked out with Silverpaw, leaving the gray she-cat alone with the medicine cat.

Cloudwatcher glanced at her, eyes giving a quick sweep of her body, before turning away and beginning to mix a variety of herbs; Rainpaw let a small growl loose. _Someone tell me what's going on! Ugh!_

She glared at the back of Cloudwatcher's head for awhile, before reluctantly giving up and bending down to take a bite of the shrew Silverpaw brought her. When she had finished gobbling it up, she peeked at the white tom from the corner of her eye; his back was still turned away, and he was still in the same position. Gathering courage, Rainpaw swiped her tongue around her muzzle once before speaking, "Can you fill me in on what's happening in the clan?"

Cloudwatcher didn't turn to face the she-cat when she asked the question, instead flicking his ear in acknowledgment to show that he had heard her. "Stormysky and Silverpaw ask about you non-stop." He said eventually, vice filled to the brim with amusement. "Brightpaw seems rather bitter when she comes, which is only when she is following Silverpaw."

_No surprise there,_ Rainpaw snorted scornfully.

The medicine cat suddenly continued. "Flashpaw seems frightened."

Rainpaw's perked up upon hearing that. "What do you mean 'frightened'?" She swiveled her ears towards the other cat, eager to hear.

Her answer was a shrug. "Maybe he thought that he had lost you. And I suppose he stills feels that way, despite you being here with us now; the sooner you get better and out of this den, the sooner he'll feel better."

Rainpaw was breathless. "Flashpaw…"

Cloudwatcher chuckled, continuing. "And Loudpaw, well, he always wants to know what's going on so that he can help Flashpaw get through okay. He makes sure to follow him in here every time, so that he doesn't do something mouse-brained."

The medicine cat craned his head back so he could look his patient in the eye. "Anything else you would like to know?" Rainpaw shook her head, speechless.

"Your mother must stay in the nursery with Graykit, so don't ask if she can visit." He had turned back around as he spoke. "Now get some rest. You're going to need it if you want to get better."

Cloudwatcher paused, as if contemplating something, then added, "And if you want Flashpaw and the others to get better as well."

And with that, the tom grabbed some herbs with his mouth and slipped out of the den, flicking his tail at the apprentice in a 'goodbye' gesture. He headed straight for the Elders' den, where Wetpelt could be heard coughing loud and clear.

Rainpaw stared after him, grumbling under her breath; she didn't want to rest. But…if it meant Flashpaw and the others would stop giving her those looks, she would've slept a whole moon.

Slowly and reluctantly, Rainpaw curled up and closed her eyes, trying her hardest to fall asleep again.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Rainpaw blinked her eyes, unsure of why she had awoken, only to remember suddenly. She was supposed to meet Sneakpaw! She sat up, only to find darkness surrounding her.

She was still, of course, in the medicine cat den, lying down in a nest of moss and feathers. On the other side was Cloudwatcher, sound asleep. His fluffy white pelt was pure and puffed out, contrasting greatly against the night. Rainpaw stole a glance out of the den and noticed the star-lit sky above; she brought her gaze down to examine the camp.

Everyone was sound asleep, except for Wildfire and Striketail, who were on guard that night. Striketail was easy to get by, but Wildfire was another story. Slowly, Rainpaw stood up, not feeling as stiff as earlier that day.

Swiftly, the young she-cat groomed over her fur. Once she was done, the gray tabby slipped out of the medicine den, but was stopped as soon as she had entered the clearing.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Rainpaw turned to find both Wildfire and Striketail staring at her. Rainpaw blinked at them, her mind racing; she needed an excuse!

Without thinking, she blurted, "I'm going to the dirt-place, if you don't mind."

Both of the toms exchanged a glance with each other, as if having a silent conversation. Finally, Wildfire nodded and both he and Striketail backed away to return to their posts._ Whew! _The she-cat sighed in relief inwardly._ That was close!_

As she continued towards the dirt-place, her eye caught the nursery._ I wonder if I should visit Puddlesplash,_ Rainpaw wondered absentmindedly, pausing to stare at the nursery.

Rainpaw pushed the thought aside and shook her head, knowing all too well that she wasn't supposed to be out of the medicine cat den, much less waking every cat in the nursery up for a middle of the night visit. Plus, she had promised Sneakpaw to meet up; she intended to keep her word.

As she entered the dirt-place area and examined it, she realized that the only way out (besides how she had come in), was up. Narrowing her eyes in determination, Rainpaw raised a soft but firm paw and set it on a ledge nearby. Slowly, Rainpaw heaved herself upwards and began to climb out of the hollow.

As she continued, the gray apprentice couldn't help but throw a glance back at camp. Instantly, she felt sick; she was up so high! Swallowing thickly, Rainpaw turned and silently made the rest of her journey up. She was almost to a flat surface when a paw slipped out of its holding place, sending a pebble tumbling down to the bottom. It was small, but the clearing was so quiet, that she wouldn't be surprised if someone had heard the sudden noise.

Inhaling sharply, the tabby watched as the pebble touched the bottom of the hollow and began to roll towards Wildfire._ Oh, StarClan, no!_ Rainpaw watched in horror as Wildfire's dark ginger ear twitched. But he ignored it, his eyes never straying from what was in front of him. Letting out a shaky breath, the she-cat scrambled up the remainder of the ledge settled down onto flat grass.

Just to be safe, Rainpaw gave the camp a side-ways glance; nothing had changed due to her departure. She huffed quietly; never, ever, would she do that again.

_I'll try to find an easier path next time,_ She thought, then did a double-take. _If-If there is a next time! If I'm forced or something. Never again am I doing this on free will._

With one last deep breath, Rainpaw took off into the forest, knowing that it was too late to go back now.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Rainpaw stepped out of the forest and onto open land, her fur tinted silver under the night sky. As she moved closer to the WindClan border, the stench of WindClan began surround her. The young she-cat wrinkled her noise slightly, not enjoying the scent. Out in front of her lay the moor; the fields were stretched out as far as she could see. Bracken and heather were dotted around the area, completely the 'WindClan' image.

As Rainpaw stared across the WindClan border, she couldn't help but sniff the air a couple of times. Though there was no more stench of fox, there was a lot of WindClan. Ever since the battle, WindClan had been sending out extra patrols; ThunderClan as well, of course. But they hadn't crossed paths yet, as far as Rainpaw knew.

The tabby couldn't help but wonder what the WindClan camp looked like, how the 'Horseplace' was and what Derby was doing over there. While Rainpaw continued to get lost in thought, some heather on the border rustled slightly.

Catching the noise, the gray she-cat whipped her head up and squinted at the border with amber eyes. Her muscles bunched up a bit, and her fur rose up in preparation of an attack. Then, out of the bushes, stepped a gray tom. Upon seeing him, Rainpaw let out a breath of relief. _Thank StarClan, it's just Sneakpaw. _

She sat silently, waiting somewhat impatiently as the other apprentice got ready to speak. "So you kept your word I see." Eventually spoke the tom sarcastically. "Glad to know that you're a cat that I can trust." He settled down onto his paws, eyes shining.

_He seems a little too calm and trustful,_ Rainpaw eyed him warily.

"This better be worth it. I had to sneak out of camp to get here." She lashed her tail once before adding, "I'm supposed to be in the medicine cat den."

Sneakpaw faltered at the words, regarding her hesitantly. "Are you hurt? Was it me? It's not like I wanted to or anything-"

Rainpaw's tail flew over his mouth, stopping him from saying more. "I'm fine. And I can take care of myself, thank you." She dropped her tail back down by her paws, huffing as she did so.

"Maybe you can, but...I have this weird urge to protect you, that's all." Rainpaw's ears twitched as he continued stiffly. "Like when you passed out. I couldn't bring myself to run away, even if there were some of your warriors on their way to help you." He paused, suddenly aware of the look the she-cat next to him was wearing.

"Like I said before, I can take care of myself." Rainpaw sighed, sounding more bitter than intended.

Sneakpaw blinked, drawing back from her unconsciously at the tone; his ears were laid back and his eyes narrowed.

Upon seeing the action she added quickly, "But I'm glad that you came when you did. Thanks for staying with me."

The WindClan apprentice's pale blue eyes eventually widened, growing soft. "You're welcome." He blinked, confusion laced in his voice (_Who knows what he's thinking? He changes moods so quickly I can't tell._).

"And I know that you're capable of handling yourself." The gray tom continued suddenly, sounding amused. "After all, you _did_ trap the fox."

"Oh that's right." Rainpaw marveled, eyes growing wide as she pretended to stare off into the distance. "The day I found you trespassing on ThunderClan territory."

The WindClan tom flicked his ears at her in amusement and embarrassment. "So, what happened to the fox?" He asked suddenly, wanting to avoid further conversation about his trespass.

Rainpaw tilted her head at Sneakpaw, silently debating whether she should tell or not. _Why shouldn't I tell him? _She finally concluded._ It's not like I'm going against my clan behind their back. Besides, it may wander into WindClan territory, and it couldn't hurt to warn them!_

Making up her mind, Rainpaw told Sneakpaw the same story her father had told her; the gray tom stayed quiet the whole time, listening intently and keeping the same face the whole time._ He's nothing like Flashpaw and the others,_ The gray tabby realized._ And he doesn't give me looks when I'm covered in blood either! _Her fur bristled as she remembered how awful it was to have been stared at, how bad it made her feel.

When Rainpaw finished, she stood up; the WindClan apprentice followed her lead. They were now both standing on opposite sides of the border, simply staring. For a moment the she-cat was lost in the tom's gaze; it felt as if she was drowning. Deep into the pale blue water…

Shaking herself to get rid of the thought, Rainpaw broke the silence. "So… you had a question for me?"

Sneakpaw blinked in surprise, as if he had just remembered. Rainpaw regarded him sourly._ Surely he didn't just bring me here to talk?_

"Well, I didn't actually want to ask you a question." He confessed. "Not exactly. I want to show you something; but you'll have to come over the border. Is that okay?"

The tabby she-cat in question shot a look at the border hesitantly. It wouldn't be that bad, right…?

A few moments of tension passed between the two cats, before Rainpaw raised her head and nodded slightly; Sneakpaw purred loudly.

"I'm glad you agree. Now, follow me!", he shouted over his shoulder as he bolted away. Rainpaw followed close behind, paws flying.

And with that, the apprentices ran along the border and into the night, feeling freer than they ever had before.

* * *

**Silver-chan: Alas, and Erin still aren't back yet-**

**K.A.K: SILVERRRRR!  
**

**Silver-chan: AHHHHHHHHHH-  
**

**Erin: *covers ears* Shut up please!  
**

**Silver-chan: Dudes, you scared me! And you guys came back really fast. What happened? O_o  
**

**K.A.K: Ehehehehe...  
**

**Erin: *shivers* Oh God it was terrifying, I don't want to talk about it.  
**

**K.A.K: What? I only..._persuaded _you a bit...muahahahaha...  
**

**Silver-chan: Ugh, we've set her off.  
**

**K.A.K: Ohohohohoho...  
**

**Erin: Er, well anyways, review and tell us what you thought!  
**

**K.A.K: OhohohOHOHOHOHO-  
**

**Erin and Silver-chan: SHUT UP!  
**

**...Review! :D  
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	10. Derby: Magnolia and Romeo

**K.A.K: Warning! There's a lot of emphasis with words in this chapter, just to show how much impact it has, or how much they despise one another :P (Also, thank you for all the reviews! We're glad people enjoy the story, hehe)**

**ALSO,**

**NO, _Guest_, I DID NOT RAPE ERIN. IT'S CALLED USING ROPE TO CAPTURE SOMEONE AND DRAG THEM BACK.**

**Erin: That's the nice way of putting it I suppose. O_O And you do know we're all girls right? I'm not sure how that would work...**

**K.A.K: YEAH!**

**Silver-chan: And I don't get _scared_ that easily! I'm actually quite fearless! *flexes***

**Erin: Um. Yes. Well.**

**Ahem. Anyways,**

**Enjoy!**

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_**Written By: K.A.K**_

_**/No Edit/**_

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"Are you sure you heard right?"

"Yes, Derby."

"Positive? Absolutely positive?"

"The Twolegs mentioned their names, for the last time. They're coming!"

"You don't really know that!"

"Why else would they talk about them?"

"Maybe, they, uh, miss them…?"

"Derby, I know you know I'm right, so just accept it. They're coming today, and we are going to stay on this porch until they do!"

Derby could only sigh as Lucy turned away from her, huffing. Lucy had been determined to greet the arriving cats properly, and in the end, made an angry Derby sit with her as well.

The two she-cats were resting on the porch of the Twoleg home, waiting for the Twolegs to bring back Romeo and Magnolia back from the other Twoleg house.

The brown she-cat had vaguely heard of this other home, but not enough to really know what it meant. All she could fathom was that when it was hot and dry, Romeo and Magnolia would come and stay at the Horseplace. When it was cold and snowing, the two siblings would leave and go back to the other home. Derby didn't find it very fair; she had to stay in the Horseplace all year round, only able to huddle with Jet in the barn and shiver as the air slowly began to freeze. But it was still nice in a sense, being able to watch the snow fall gently to the ground from out the barn's window….

"Derby!" Lucy suddenly yelped, making the other she-cat jump, startled. "They're here! Look, the monster is pulling up next to the house!"

Whipping her head around, Derby scanned the solid gray path beside the house, only to see the Twolegs' monster come to a stop on it. Its rumbling died down, and its glowing eyes eventually faded to a dull gray. Something inside it suddenly clicked, and both sides of the beast's belly opened as the Twolegs stepped out.

Followed closely behind them were two trimmed and fluffy cats, tails swishing and heads held high.

As they sauntered over, Derby let out a sigh and muttered, "Glad to know they both still have their tom-pride."

"Magnolia is not a tom." Lucy hissed harshly, whacking her best friend with her tail as a warning. She then turned to the other two cats with a big grin. "Romeo, Magnolia!" the black she-cat chirped cheerfully, sounding the slightest bit false to Derby. "Welcome back to the Horseplace! I missed you guys!"

"That makes one of us." Derby drawled indifferently and then let out a slow breath, making sure to drag it out as long as possible. She caught Lucy's dissatisfied look once she finished, but before the brown cat could open her mouth to defend herself, Romeo stepped forward.

"Three actually," he purred smoothly. "Since Magnolia and I are positively _delighted _to see you all. And Lucy! Still as beautiful as ever I see. Perhaps we should-"

Derby let loose a loud warning growl, interrupting the tom's sugar-coated words and making him pause. The two cats stared at one another for a few moments, causing tension to hang thick in the air, before Romeo eased it slightly by slowly smiling and asking aloud, "Where's Jet?"

Lucy responded before Derby could. "He's in the barn catching mice."

"Of course! It's his job, _Lucy_." The she-cat next to Romeo snorted loudly and obnoxiously. "And he does it nobly and perfectly, unlike _Derby, _who can barely even scratch those filthy rodents."

"Oh, Maggie!" Derby exclaimed in mock surprise, eyes widening as she turned to face the other she-cat; she pushed Romeo and his scheming ways to the back of her mind, suddenly eager to have another stand-off with the snob below her. "I can't believe I didn't notice you before, you're as plump as the cows! What happened? Last time I saw you sweetie, I had mistaken you for a piece of straw!"

Magnolia snarled at the heavily implied sarcasm, her mottled cream and brown fur standing up stiff. "I see that you still have the same sick attitude as the last time I was here." She jeered. "And you still haven't groomed that ugly, matted fur of yours! _Typical Derby_."

"Well of course." Derby sneered, leaning her head down so she was face-to-face with her enemy. "Who has time for messing with their fur when they have to chase off mice constantly and make sure the horses stay where they're needed to be? And guard the farm when the Twolegs leave? Unlike you, _darling_, I actually have _work_ to do."

Magnolia merely spluttered angrily, unable to form proper words at the sudden accusation; beside her, Romeo chuckled lowly in poorly-hid amusement. At the same time, Lucy sighed tiredly from her place on the porch, knowing that the conversation was now beyond her reach. Leave it to Derby to mess things up again.

Eventually the cream and brown she-cat composed herself, a scowl etched onto her face. But right as she opened her mouth to retort, one of the Twolegs hollered from inside the house; they were shouting Lucy's name repeatedly, growing louder each time they spoke. Derby and the others couldn't understand why they did that. They all heard the first time anyways! And there was no need to be so loud!

Upon hearing the call, however, Lucy stretched her legs and jumped into 'leader mode'. She announced loudly, "Okay! I'm going to head inside now. While I'm gone, you're free to do the usual. However, due to almost being killed by a horse during the last visit, I think it'd best if Magnolia sticks with…"

_Please be Romeo, please say her brother. _Derby pleaded in her mind desperately. As if reading her thoughts, Lucy shot her a sympathetic look and finished quietly with:

"…Derby."

The said brown she-cat wailed angrily, feeling betrayed. "_I knew it!_"

Magnolia was just as upset. "I don't take orders from a stupid she-cat like _you_!" She shrieked at Lucy, eyes wide. "I simply _refuse _to walk around and be monitored by this sorry excuse for a cat!"

"_Excuse you?_"

The pregnant she-cat huffed and ignored them both, choosing to walk away and slip through the 'cat flap' on the Twolegs' door. She chirped a goodbye to all of them as she departed, though it was barely noticed by the two other female felines, who were now spitting insults at each other's faces.

But once it was processed that Lucy was truly gone, silence settled down upon the remaining cats. It wasn't awkward, however, rather filled with the crackling tension of Magnolia and Derby's glares. Romeo, growing the tiniest bit weary of the two she-cats constant arguing, gave his brown fur a quick lick before speaking up to catch their attention.

"I'm going to go chat with Jet now." The tabby told them casually as he began trot away. It was rather uncharacteristic of him to leave without some kind of flirting, Derby noted, but then swiftly tore up the thought when the tom turned around and added slyly, "Play nice with Magnolia, Derby. You should save your fire for me, after all. Later today, maybe.", then winked.

The brown she-cat hissed lowly under her breath once the tom was out of sight. Oh how much she hated him; a no-good player he was.

And as much fun as it had been to see Magnolia shriek in terror and run from one of the Horseplace's agitated stallions, Derby could only hope that it was Romeo this time that would maybe- _just maybe_ -get attacked by a horse.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

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"Ugh, this place is soooo dull, just look at it! It's just grass and dirt and horse dung! How do you manage to put up with this boring place everyday, Derby? Ah! How will _I _manage?"

"Quit your whining.", Derby snapped at the she-cat next to her, tail lashing. The two cats were wandering around the farmland, trying to decide where to go first. "Just tell me where you want to go so I can escort you and we can get this over with."

Upon hearing this, Magnolia perked up slightly and smirked. "Well, let's see….how about the barn where Je-"

"We're not seeing my brother."

"Why not?", Magnolia let out a high-pitched growl, upset at being interrupted and rejected.

"Because you're creepy when you're around him!"

"Creepy? It's called love, you brutal tom!"

"_Tom?!_ Do you _want_ me to claw your stupid ears off?!"

"At least I'd still look more beautiful than _you_!"

Derby snarled, her brown pelt standing up stiff with anger. "Looks are all you got, horse dung!" The cream and brown she-cat in front of her gasped in horror at the accusation.

"Well," Magnolia shot back, stuttering slightly. "I-I bet you've done absolutely nothing worthwhile lately! You've probably just slept the day away while your poor, darling brother caught you food and did your job! He probably still is! U-Useless Derby!"

Derby spluttered at her, fuming. If there was one thing the brown she-cat hated, it was being called either useless, unwanted, or a waste of time; and Magnolia knew that! _How dare she? _Derby thought, before inhaling deeply to try and compose herself. _Be calm, _she chanted. _Be calm._ _Don't let her provoke you any further._

A heartbeat passed by before her breathing evened out, allowing her to manage, "I have done something! I went into the forest by the Twoleg House to catch Lucy food but met a group of cats called WindClan!"

The Horseplace cat was going to end it at that, to add some suspense to it, but once she saw Magnolia start to gape, she felt a surge of confidence. She then began to boast. "I was almost caught, but then I ran away and met an apprentice from another clan called ThunderClan! And I was taken hostage by them, before being released and escorted home by some arrogant Warrior named Ashfa-"

Suddenly Derby halted, realization smacking her harshly in the face. _I probably shouldn't have mentioned Ashfall. Or any of this. Ah, geez! I let my temper get to me. Maybe I could take it all back…?_

But it was a bit too…late for that. Magnolia's interest had been peaked, and now she wanted to know more.

"Ashfa?" The older she-cat repeated, leaning in close to Derby's face. "Is it a tom? Is that his real name? What does he look like? Tell me more!"

Disturbed by the sudden invasion of space, Derby quickly pushed Magnolia away with her paw and muttered, "Confidential."

"Ehhhh? Tell me now!"

"No."

"Then take me there!"

"No."

"_Now_!"

"_No_."

"Then I'll go myself!"

"_No_!"

Frustrated and fed up with their petty argument, Magnolia suddenly snarled, and tried to shoulder past Derby to enter the forest behind them. Seeing this, the other she-cat acted on impulse and moved a bit to the side to block the way. The cream and brown cat, more irritated than before, pushed harder against her; but Derby kept her paws rooted to the ground. Tension was building up between the two at a rapid speed, and finally hit its peak when Magnolia shoved her.

Derby stumbled backwards from the impact, tripping over her own paws before landing face-first into the dirt. She could feel her nose smash flat, and a prick of pain shot through her head.

Eventually, the brown she-cat managed to stagger to her feet; by then Magnolia was a few mouse-tails away, trying to escape into the trees and go find the 'clans' Derby had been boasting of.

"Wait a minute!" Derby yowled angrily. "Stop!" She took off after Magnolia on shaky but determined paws.

"Stop!", she screeched again, her voice now firm and much louder. The older cat, though hearing her yells, ignored her deliberately and continued to saunter away. But just as she was about to slip through the bushes, Derby put on a burst of speed and tackled the she-cat's side, sending both of them rolling.

They continued to slide across the ground, hissing and spitting all the way. When they finally stopped, Magnolia kicked Derby off and swiped at her with unsheathed claws.

The Horseplace cat managed to dodge just in time, the claws only snagging and pulling off small tufts of her fur. She glared at Magnolia and growled deeply in her throat (_I've had enough!_, she spat inside of her head.), before letting out a bone-chilling snarl and lunging at the other.

Magnolia yelped as Derby's teeth sunk into her shoulder. Desperately trying to fight back, Magnolia twisted her body and batted Derby upside the head. The force of the blow winded the brown she-cat and made her let go; while she was still dizzy, Magnolia made a move.

She raced over to Derby's side, only to land another painful blow on her; this time, it was her flank. Her claws had been out, so when she pulled away, blood dribbled down Derby's fur. Derby retaliated, latching onto Magnolia's back leg with her teeth until blood flowed in smalls streams. It stained the pure green grass below.

The fight was irrational, but becoming very bloody very fast. Every one of Magnolia's attacks left blood; on her fur, on Derby's.

Derby, however, had yet to reveal her claws. She stuck to biting and distracting. Admittedly, the two tactics were what she was best at.

The battle was starting to look like some twisted, dark dance; a whirlwind of teeth, claws, and (some) blood.

Finally, Derby managed to slip behind Magnolia, swiftly bring a paw to her head, and smash her forcefully to the ground. The brown she-cat then plopped down on top of her and placed a heavy paw onto her throat.

"Stay," Derby panted heavily, blood leaking down into her eyes. "You…hah…can't go."

Magnolia, eyes wide, croaked angrily, "I can do what I want, tom."

Derby couldn't believe what she was hearing. _After all of…_this, _she still wants to go?! Is she that stupid? Does she really want to die over something so pointless? _Suddenly Derby jolted, realizing what she had just thought. She had been talking as if she was planning to _kill_ Magnolia!

Anger and discomfort churned wildly in her belly. Sure, she despised the other she-cat to the point it hurt, but never would she _kill _her! The brown Horseplace cat didn't even want to fathom how it would feel to know that for the rest of your life, someone's blood was on your claws.

She then shook her head, and turned her attention back to an exhausted but still-furious Magnolia. "Don't mess with me," Derby spat; she added a little pressure to her paw on Magnolia's throat, making the other gag slightly. "This is stupid! We're fighting over stupid cats that live in the forest! What do they even matter to you? To... me? I'm never going to see them again, so. It. Doesn't. Matter!"

The fluffy she-cat beneath her gaped, before getting over her shock to Derby's rant and snarling, "You-!"

"Derby! Magnolia!" A cat's voice suddenly yowled, interrupting Magnolia and surprising both she-cats.

They called out to them again, sounding shocked and furious. "Guys! _What on earth are you two doing?!_"

Derby was confused at first as to whom it was, but when it clicked, she flattened her ears and muttered, "Gah! Lucy heard us!"

"Well duh," Magnolia spat harshly. "Who wouldn't have? We were yowling our lungs off."

"Oh shut it you stupid-"

"For the love of Twolegs!" Lucy screeched next to her suddenly, making Derby cut off her sentence and leap off of Magnolia. "_Is this blood?!_"

"Lucy!", the brown she-cat tried to plead with her best friend. "It was just a bit of a misunderstanding, nothing big!"

The black she-cat before her looked like she was about to faint. "Misunderstanding?! _How is this a misunderstanding?!_ Derby, please-"

"I'm sorry!" Derby blurted abruptly. "Okay?! I'm sorry, it just happened!"

By then, Lucy had calmed down, and was now simply regarding Derby with disappointed eyes. The look hit Derby hard. _It's like Lucy expects no less than for me to start a bloody fight for no reason_. The thought made Derby whither; she crouched low to the ground, her whole body practically sagging.

Suddenly, Lucy spoke up. "Well, I guess it's not as bad as I had made it out to be. Come along, Magnolia." She sighed, trying to gently lead the injured and reluctant cream and brown she-cat away ("Like I'd willingly go somewhere with _you_!" She had spat; she followed Lucy anyways.). "I'll get the Twolegs to fix you up. You come too, Derby."

But Derby's feet wouldn't move. She felt like there was a mass of lead inside of her, weighing down her body and her heart. That… _look_ she had been given had hurt her more than she thought it would have.

It was strange, however. She had seen that look many times in the past; not just from Lucy, but from Jet, her mom, and on some occasions, the Twolegs. Usually Derby would brush it off, or shoulder it and move on. So why did she care all of a sudden…?

The brown she-cat heard Lucy say her name again, but she didn't budge. Instead, she croaked loudly, "I'm fine, I'll manage, go ahead without me.", before settling down onto the crimson-dotted field by herself. She laid in silence, listening to Magnolia's whines and Lucy's soothing words from up ahead.

It was the first time Derby had ever truly felt alone.

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**K.A.K: Uh-oh. Seems Derby is having a bit of sudden self turmoil. I wonder how that will play out...haha, just kidding! I ALREADY know, and you do not. HA! Um...ah..ahem, anyways...**

**Review please! :D**


	11. Silverpaw: Of Ghosts and Tunnels

**Silver: Hey, readers! I'm sorry it took so long.**

**K.A.K: Yeah! I'm getting ready to smack this girl, who's with me?!**

**Erin: Put. The. Stick. Down.**

**Silver: Note to self- watch out for K.A.K. So really, what happened is that I've recently had some major family changes and had to move houses. My home's main computer went to my mother, and I myself don't own one. So I've only had every other weekend to do the chapter, and school, and BLAH! I've also been sick for the past week. **

**K.A.K: EXCUSES! **

**Erin: Flu season, incoming!**

**Silver: Anyway, enjoy! Don't forget to R&R, because if this painfully difficult chapter gets no reviews, I might die. :) **

**K.A.K: LOL**

**Silver: !**

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_**Written by: Silver-chan**_  
_**Edited by: K.A.K**_

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Silverpaw blinked open bleary blue eyes before groggily glancing towards her sister's nest. _She's…gone?_ Once again, Rainpaw was absent from her nest in the apprentices' den.

With a sigh, Silverpaw heaved her fluffy body out of her nest to search for her sister, her reflective blue eyes peering out of the den and roaming the camp, searching for a familiar gray speckled pelt.

Nothing.

_Wildfire trained my sight with many seeking exercises, _thought Silverpaw_. And I haven't missed a thing; she just isn't here._

Now that she thought about it, Wildfire and Striketail were on guard right then, for the second time that quarter moon. _They should know something! _She quietly walked up to the two toms. Suddenly Striketail's ears rose, and he turned warily, only to see her. "Oh, Silverpaw. Can't sleep?"

Silverpaw shook her head. "I wish it was that simple, but… Rainpaw's not in her nest."

Wildfire, not taking his eyes off of the forest, murmured lowly, "She went to the Dirtplace; that was quite a while ago, however. She hasn't returned?"

Silverpaw turned to her mentor. "Her nest is cold", the silver apprentice responded quickly as she began to pace, her tail lashing in worry.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

**Striketail's POV**

**~oOOo~**

* * *

_Honestly, Silverpaw must have some insane gift that attracts all sorts of adventure towards her. I mean, really? Missing family members, strangers in camp, getting chased around by rabid foxes, and watching enemy deputies plunge to their deaths- Hmph. It's just like her to find something dangerous to get involved in, isn't it?_ Striketail huffed and lashed his striped tail, before adding in his mind: _But it's also just like Rainpaw to find something to get herself into. And it makes sense that Silverpaw wants to find her. They've always been close. …Where could she be? Uh-oh. _

Striketail had a sudden thought that made his insides lurch with dread. _If Lightningstar finds out she escaped from camp while I was on guard, I'll be on apprentice duty for sure! _ He then spoke up, catching the worried apprentice's attention. "Um, I'll go with you to find her! If that's okay…_" _

Striketail looked over to his russet watch partner, who merely sighed and shook his head. "I'll be fine. You two go find Rainpaw", he said.

And they did just that.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

**Silverpaw's POV**

**~oOOo~**

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As the duo slipped into the Dirtplace, Silverpaw wrinkled her nose. "For some reason, I don't think Rainpaw would spend too much time in here." She turned to Striketail, who was eyeing her.

"I wonder why", he voiced sarcastically. Silverpaw just shook off her companion's mocking and continued forward. They then arrived at the far end of the Dirtplace.

"There's only one way she could have left the Dirtplace," meowed the silver she-cat in assurance. She pointed her tail to the small path of rocky ledges on her left. "This is our secret way out of camp. I was hoping she didn't come this way, but it looks like she did."

Striketail shook his head. "But why would she sneak out?"

Silverpaw stared at the path. "The only way to find out is to catch her and make her confess. Come on, you first." Her dark companion nodded, then carefully placed his paws onto a tiny ledge and dug his claws in, stepping up onto the path. Silverpaw began climbing soon after the black-furred tom, only to get smacked by his bristling tail.

Striketail had stopped climbing.

"Wha- Striketail, what's wrong?"

The tom looked down at her, his eyes wide. "Are you sure this path is stable for a big cat like me? Silverpaw, I really don't think it's going to hold… we should find another way."

Silverpaw chuckled. "Here, climb down, and I'll go first."

As soon as the silver apprentice and the nervous black tom had righted themselves, Silverpaw began to climb again. She lithely scrambled up the rocky path, occasionally glancing at her paws to make sure she had a nice claw-hold. She then swiftly settled at the top of the hollow. Judging from the many footprints, cats had used this shortcut for generations. There must have been a fire a very long time ago- since none of the Elders could remember a fire happening during their lifetime- as there were charred trees and shrubs everywhere, crumbling from age. She heard Striketail's voice call from below:

"Okay, I'm on the last one."

She turned to see him scrabbling over the ledge and into the forest above the hollow, and twitched her whiskers as he dipped his head. "Let's go", he urged. As the two ThunderClan cats began to race into the forest, Silverpaw raised her tail.

"Stop," she whispered. "I've got a scent. She smells…happy, or excited. She went this way, towards the WindClan border… Wait, _what?!_" Silverpaw began to follow the trail, her ears flattening as she continued along.

"These aren't her only scent trails, there are more trails! All leading in the same direction! And they're all in the past quarter moon…"

Striketail suddenly spoke up, making her turn her white muzzle towards him. "Well, nice job on getting the scent, but this is a big problem. She couldn't be meeting up with a WindClan cat, could she? Silverpaw, if there's something you know about this, tell me."

"No, no, I'm sure she just likes to hunt that way! I really don't know what she's doing. Come on, let's find her."

The two cats scurried along the scent trail, occasionally taking a sharp turn, or leaping over some brambles. Then, right when the two were so close to the border that Silverpaw could smell WindClan, Striketail stopped her with a black paw. He nodded to a pale gray shape that was looking towards the WindClan border.

_Rainpaw! _

Striketail shook his head, and Silverpaw hunched down a bit. _Right, _she thought. _We should see what she's doing first._

Suddenly,Rainpaw stood up, her tail straight in the air, and walked right towards them. The bracken parted, and Silverpaw stared into her sister's shocked face with narrowed eyes. _Is that a trace of guilt I see? Perhaps nervousness?_

Silverpaw rose from her hiding spot and stepped suspiciously towards her sister, asking boldly, "Where have you been?"

Rainpaw stared, eyes wide, as Striketail too stepped out of the bracken. "H-how long have you two been here?"

Striketail narrowed his eyes. "Just a few seconds. Did something happen before we came? Something we should know about?"

Silverpaw turned to him and smacked his ear with a white paw; Striketail flinched in surprise, before rubbing his ear with his paw and pouting. "Stop grilling her!" the silver she-cat demanded at him, and then turned to her sister. "Rainpaw, you know you can tell me what happened… if something actually happened. And you weren't just gazing poetically into the sunrise over the moor!", she added sarcastically.

Rainpaw furiously shook her head and replied. "Actually, I was just worried you had seen me trying to catch that rabbit. It ran into WindClan territory…I-I guess I just wasn't fast enough this time!"

Silverpaw cleared her throat. "If you wanted to hunt, you could have asked. I'm sure the night patrol would have let you. Right, Striketail?" The black tom waved his white and brown striped tail in agreement. "That's right."

"Then that's that. Let's all go get some sleep", Silverpaw announced, and the three cats slowly made their way to just above the hollow. The tabby and white she-cat whispered into Striketail's ear, and the dark tom left to take up his position at the camp entrance. Rainpaw twitched nervously as he left, as she was now alone with her very, very persistent sister.

"Rainpaw, tell me the truth. When a rabbit gets away, over the border, you don't stare lovingly after it."

The tabby apprentice in question flattened her ears and fidgeted. "Well, I-", she began, but was quickly cut off by her sister.

"And you're the fastest cat the clans have ever known! Let's be honest, it wouldn't have gotten away, even on a bad day."

"You see…"

Silverpaw's fur bristled, and she retorted, "I don't see! You're hiding something, and I don't know why!"

Façade broken, Rainpaw stood up and hissed, "I'll tell you, okay!?" The gray she-cat then took a gulp of breath to calm herself, and settled down into a comfier position, as did her sister. "You have to promise not to tell."

Silverpaw nodded, eager to hear; her ears perked in anticipation, expecting the unexpected.

"I… I secretly visited Sneakpaw of WindClan."

The silver she–cat leapt up at the news, alarmed. "You- you can't! That's against the Warrior Code! What will happen when we become warriors? You know you can't have a mate outside of your clan!"

Rainpaw's eyes widened at her words, mouth dropping open. "No! No, it's not like that! Sneakpaw and I are just friends, okay?"

Sadness glittered in Silverpaw's blue eyes. "I'm not going to stop you, Rainpaw", she sighed tiredly. "But I truly believe that this ordeal is going to hurt you." She stood up. "I'm going to eat something."

"…Even though it's still night?"

"Yeah."

And as she turned and walked towards the night patrol, Silverpaw could feel her sister's eyes boring into her, watching her every step.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

"…and so, after it was all said and done, the evil Tigerstar was vanquished by Firestar, and the Clans lived happily ever after."

As Wetpelt finished his story, Graykit squealed in delight and pounced on Silverpaw's tail. "I'm Firestar, and you're Tigerstar!", the kit proclaimed loudly.

Silverpaw chuckled. "I can't be Tigerstar! I'm a she-cat, and he's a tom! So that also means you can't be Firestar!"

Spirit instantly deflated by Silverpaw's words, Graykit shuffled and muttered disappointed sounds under her breath; something along the lines of Silverpaw being a "dream destroyer".

Feeling a bit bad, yet amused at the same time, the tabby apprentice suggested, "Why don't you try being Squirrelstar, and next time I can be Bluestar? As for now, I better go; I have to train with Wildfire. See you, Graykit, Puddlesplash!"

After saying her farewells, she headed out into the clearing, only to be greeted with the warm reds and oranges of Leaf-fall. The she-cat trotted over to Wildfire, who was waiting by the hollow entrance. The brightly hued leaves crackled under her paws.

"Hey!", she called in a chirp. "I'm on time, so let's get going, shall we?"

Her russet-furred mentor nodded and then led her into the ThunderClan forest. Suddenly, Silverpaw caught a whiff of Rainpaw's stale joy-scent, and was reminded with a pang that they were still awkwardly avoiding each other. Silverpaw really hated fighting with her sister. In fact, the silver apprentice was so absorbed in her thoughts, that she didn't even notice a gaping hole ahead…

…until she tumbled right into it.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Groaning slightly, Silverpaw shook her head and gave herself a once-over, only to let out a small noise of dismay. All the white areas of her thick, short tabby coat—her paws, muzzle, chest, belly, and tail tip—had gotten filthy with eroded dirt.

As she stood up, her front left paw throbbed and ached; she took in her surroundings silently. The she-cat was standing in a dirt and stone tunnel, and after she listening hard enough, she could detect a faint gurgle. _Running water...?_

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, a flash of green that looked suspiciously like eyes blurred by. _Eyes?_, she thought nervously before berating herself. _That's ridiculous, don't be like that, Silverpaw. This tunnel may be roomy enough for you, but it would be a tight squeeze for a real warrior; forget about fitting two cats in here! You're all alone. That Dark Forest story from earlier must be getting to you. _

She decided to continue along the path; the green flashes, occurring frequently in her peripheral vision, were beginning to bother her. She unsheathed her claws, ready to fight off anything that showed up, but eventually pulled them back in upon sudden realization. _Eh? _She tilted her head in curiosity, looking up slightly._ What's this? _

The tunnel ceiling was beginning to slope, brushing the fur of her back, and getting smaller and narrower with each step. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the tabby had a bad feeling that this was a dead end. _This tunnel is getting real squeezy in all the wrong places. _Silverpaw thought uncomfortably._ It would be _so_ embarrassing if a bunch of warriors had to dig me out._

Finally, the she-cat emerged into a huge cavern, with other tunnels and a roaring river running right through the middle; it then dipped downwards, before disappearing around a narrow bend.

Suddenly, while Silverpaw stood awestruck, a voice called out from the deep depths of the cave.

"Hello, Silverpaw.", it purred smoothly. "I've been waiting."

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Striketail shuffled where he was standing, lost in his thoughts. He _knew_ that Rainpaw was hiding something, he could feel it! Nothing but a secret could solicit such sneaky behavior.

_Creeping around by the WindClan border uninvited…and she's the deputy's kit, no less! She's going to cause a lot of trouble if she doesn't get it together, _The tom mused, managing to steal a glance at the gray speckled apprentice munching on a starling across the clearing. She didn't exactly look dejected, but you could tell she wasn't happy about arguing with Silverpaw.

_Then again, _The Warrior added as an afterthought._ Silverpaw isn't the most agreeable cat. I don't think I've met a single cat that hasn't been told off by her yet, with the exception Lightningstar and Graykit. _

The ferns by the camp entrance suddenly rustled, and Striketail perked up his ears, expecting Silverpaw and Wildfire. _Great. _He sighed inwardly with relief._ If they're back, I can finish guarding camp and maybe listen to what Rainpaw has to say…_

However, it was only Wildfire that came through the ferns, looking a bit winded and slightly panicked. "Lightningstar!" he called across camp to his leader, who was standing and chatting with Mistystep. "Silverpaw has fallen down a hole and hasn't come out for a long time. She may be in danger."

Lightningstar nodded, all attention now on him. "Stormysky, Wildfire, and Poolbreeze, see what you can do", he instructed. "Rainpaw, go with them—you may be small enough to wriggle through the narrow spaces. Leave immediately."

The patrol headed out.

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Startled by the noise, Silverpaw spun around, claws unsheathed. "Seriously!", Silverpaw barked into the darkness. "I have a lot going on right now, so stop stalking me in small, dark spaces! I'm not in the mood!"

A chuckled sounded, and following it, a lithe black she-cat stepped out. "Forgive me", she said. "I have not yet introduced myself to you by name, though I suppose you know me well enough."

The ThunderClan apprentice back on her haunches, a quizzical expression on her face as she contemplated the cat's appearance and scent. _Huh… _Silverpaw twitched her whiskers, thinking hard._ I suppose she's somewhat familiar, but I can't place a name to her…_

If Silverpaw squinted her eyes enough, she could detect small, sparkling stars at the tips of the she-cats pelt; because of this, it glittered like the night sky. Her eyes glowed an emerald green, as if she knew every one of Silverpaw's secrets and was smug about it. Her scent was frosty and crisp to the tabby's sensitive nose, with a warm, summery edge to it.

Suddenly it hit her. "You're that cat from my accident as a kit, when I fell off of the hill! I remember now!"

The cat swished her tail, smiling slightly. "I am pleased that you remember. My name is Hollyleaf. Your elders have passed down stories about me, am I wrong?"

Silverpaw dipped her head in respect. "No, no! They talk about you often; I've learned much about you from them…"

The apprentice would have continued, but she trailed off slowly when Hollyleaf's face contorted into one of pain and anger. The StarClan cat looked like she was recalling something, or reliving a bad memory.

Not wanting to alarm her, Silverpaw asked slowly, "Um, are you alright? …Do you need a moment?"

At her words, Hollyleaf snapped out of it, and inhaled sharply before letting it out quickly. "Fine…I'm fine."

Silverpaw frowned. "If you're sure; sorry if something I said offended you."

Hollyleaf merely shook her head.

Feeling confused, Silverpaw opened her mouth to restart the conversation, but cut herself off when a scraping sound came from behind her; it was where she had entered from!

"Uh, if it's alright with you, I'd like to make this short and sweet", the silver tabby announced nervously. "I'd like to mentally prepare myself for that badger coming in."

The last remark had meant to lighten the mood, but unfortunately, Silverpaw's attempt at humor fell flat; the sparkling she-cat did not laugh. "That's no badger, but you're right. We need to be quick. Silverpaw, I've come so I could offer guidance. I'm going to be your mentor. You've got abilities that you need to learn how to master, and I can help you. And perhaps, this way, I can finally be involved in a prophecy…". Instantly realizing her slip-up, Hollyleaf covered her mouth with her tail, eyes shining with an unreadable emotion.

Silverpaw leaped to her feet, ears stock-straight with excitement. "I'm part of a prophecy?! Cool! Isn't that a good thing?"

No reply; the cavern settled into silence.

Silverpaw broke it immediately, however. "But, uh, don't prophecy cats usually end up with a loved one dead, or something?"

Behind her, the scraping noise grew louder; Hollyleaf shifted on her paws, eyeing the darkness.

Suddenly, Silverpaw heard the sweet sound of her sister's voice. "Oh, StarClan, this isn't the time…Silverpaw, are you in there? I'm coming in to get you, okay?"

Delighted, Silverpaw opened her mouth to reply, but Hollyleaf hissed, "She mustn't know yet!"

Hollyleaf's figure began to shimmer, and suddenly, a few rocks tumbled down from the top of the cavern and blocked the entrance to the tunnel. _Wow, _Silverpaw mused bitterly. _Just my luck._

Claws scrabbled at the rocks from the other side, and when Silverpaw turned to Hollyleaf to demand answers, she discovered that the starry she-cat had vaporized into thin air.

Feeling somewhat defeated, Silverpaw sat back and considered her options. Hollyleaf was gone, but she suspected not for long; she didn't expect Hollyleaf to help her anyways, however. After all, Hollyleaf had caused the rock fall in the first place.

From Rainpaw's side, it seemed as if she wasn't having a lot of luck; what was she doing here anyway? Silverpaw's sister was much more speedy and agile than she was strong. It wasn't like she could actually _do _anything.

The other tunnels didn't look so appealing; some smelled of the moors, and if she chose the wrong one and got lost, the river could flood if it rained, and she would drown.

_Well, looks like my training is going to pay off._ Bracing herself against the floor and facing the opposite direction of the blocked entrance, the silver tabby settled her hind legs against the rocks in her way. She, not being very observant, was too busy concentrating on the task at hand, that she did not notice her hind legs bulk up slightly with more sudden muscle.

With one loud _CRACK!_,Silverpaw kicked behind her at the rocks; nothing happened at first, but then the rocks began to shake and crumble, and eventually, fell apart to reveal Rainpaw.

"You're okay! And filthy…", noted her sister. "So…you wanna tell me how you got down here?"

Silverpaw merely rolled her eyes and squeezed down into the tunnel after her sister. "Maybe later, Rainpaw", she chortled. "Now's not exactly the _best time_, am I right?"

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Luckily, everyone's reaction to Silverpaw's return was positive. She and Rainpaw had trotted casually through the fern tunnel- their spat clearly over -chatting about what happened to Silverpaw, save the whole incident with Hollyleaf. Puddlesplash, who had obviously been waiting for them for quite some time, leaped to her feet and gave a joyous yowl. "Silverpaw's back!", her voice rang clear through the camp, catching all cats' attention.

Overcome happiness, she attacked her kits with licks and voiced her fretful worries about them.

"Gah- mother—get off, I'm filthy!", Silverpaw managed to choke out. Eventually and reluctantly, Puddlesplash pulled away.

After letting the apprentice catch some air, Cloudwatcher gently inspected Silverpaw's left paw, telling her it would be fine. The Warriors, who had been accompanying Rainpaw and Silverpaw, went to talk with Lightningstar during the commotion.

"Well, well, well!" A smug voice sounded. "Look who's back from her little adventure."

Striketail and Ashfall had wandered up to the two sisters, and it was painfully obvious that Striketail was trying to mess with Silverpaw. The tabby she-cat simply sighed and snorted.

"Oh, stuff it, Striketail, you old bag", she responded playfully. "I had way more fun today than you've ever had in your life."

The four cats then chuckled like old friends, and once she excused herself, Silverpaw headed to her nest for a well-needed rest.

"Good night, ThunderClan," She whispered happily.

* * *

**K.A.K: Welp, that's it!**

**Silver: Hope ya liked it!  
**

**R&R!**


	12. AN: Stormy Skies Is Out!

Hey everyone! Stormy Skies, Silver-chan and Erin's new story, is up.

However.

It's on Silver's account, because we are co-writing it!

The prologue is up, and there's a link (remove spaces) below.

Rainwatcher and Stormwhisper are new warriors in Riverclan, and they are half sisters. Rainwatcher is half Windclan, sired by the tom Tigershadow. Set in the future, after the Prophecy of Four (Silverpaw, Rainpaw, Flashpaw, Derby). Darkness is rising again.

You can read either first; we won't spoil the ending of the Prophecy of Four series.

www. / s/9085100/ 1/Stormy- Skies

-Silver-chan & Erin Hunteress


	13. Rainpaw: Promises

**Erin: Hey, would you look at that, we've updated!**

**K.A.K: Guess so.**

**Silver: Why are you so nonchalant, K.A.K? It's your fault that it took forever to upload.**

**K.A.K: Because YOLOOOO aha.**

**Erin: *smacks K.A.K* What she means is that she's been busy.**

**K.A.K: Ow! I was kidding!**

**Silver: Uh-huh, sure. Welp!**

**Erin and Silver: Enjoy!**

**K.A.K: I _was _kidding...**

* * *

_**Written by: Erin**_

_**Edited by: K.A.K**_

* * *

Rainpaw followed the border patrol out into the forest, practically bouncing up and down on her paws.

"What's up with you?" asked Loudpaw as he eyed her.

Rainpaw turned toward him and shrugged. "Oh, nothing. I just haven't been out of camp for a while now." That was a lie, of course.

She was hoping to see Sneakpaw again. They were headed toward the WindClan border and Rainpaw just couldn't contain herself. She wasn't sure why, but every time she thought of Sneakpaw, her heart seemed to beat three times as fast.

Loudpaw continued to gaze at her, expression unreadable; it didn't slip her notice that he narrowed his eyes when she started talking. The she-cat held her breath and waited for a reply, but the tom simply sighed and turned to walk over to where his mentor Droopflower was.

Suddenly a voice called from behind. "Ready to fight some WindClan cats?"

Rainpaw rolled her eyes. _No! I'm not! _

"Who says that we're going to be fighting, Darkcloud? We won the battle from before, so-"

She would've continued if it hadn't been for the hard gaze her mentor gave her.

"And who says that we_won't_?" The older cat calmly retorted. "You can never tell with those flea-bags."

_Flea-bags?! _A sudden desire to rake her claws across Darkcloud's face overcame her, but she swallowed it down with great difficulty. _Get a hold of yourself, Rainpaw. He doesn't know, and hopefully never will. There's no way any of them would understand…_

It was then Rainpaw realized Darkcloud was still expecting an answer. "Y-Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I'll try to keep an eye out for them."

The dark-furred she-cat had hoped that that would satisfy the tom, but he kept his stone-cold stare on her, sending ripples of worry down Rainpaw's pelt. _Calm down!_ She scolded herself mentally._ There is _no _way he could know!_

A tense silence had settled over them for only a few seconds, but it dispersed just as quickly when a cheerful shout interrupted. "Darkcloud! You aren't scaring your apprentice, are you?"

Fernfrost trotted up to the two. "You really need to learn to be less harsh." The older she-cat of the two present continued, unaware of the indifferent look she was being given. "Duskeyes is real close to kitting, and if you're going to be a father-" The tortoiseshell stopped; Darkcloud was already padding away.

"Well then." Fernfrost let out a huff and turned to Rainpaw. The apprentice blinked back up at her. _Did she want something…?_

The warrior didn't say anything however, and they settled into, this time, a _comfortable_ silence, still walking and getting closer to the WindClan border.

"Does he train you hard?" Fernfrost suddenly inquired, her voice still soft but a touch lower than normal.

Rainpaw's fur bristled slightly at the question, and her tail twitched irritably. _Like it's any of your business._ The apprentice thought harshly. _Besides, nothing is too hard for me! _

"No." She replied flatly, keeping her eyes straight ahead; the border was in sight! "Not really."

"Well, if he ever does, you know that you could always tell me or any other cat-"

"Yeah, yeah! That's great! Thanks!"

Rainpaw ran off to catch up with the others. Out stretched in front of her were the moors, with meadows and fields out as far as the eye could see. The wind rushed through the group of cats' fur, blowing them in every direction.

The apprentice instantly lifted her nose, hoping to catch a familiar scent on the breeze, but was distracted by Fernfrost coming up to stand next to her.

_Ugh! Can't she just leave me alone? I'm busy!_

"Smell any intruders?" Fernfrost asked innocently. Rainpaw lowered her head and glanced over to spot where the other was.

"No. You?"

The warrior shook her head and kept her gaze fixed on Rainpaw. She seemed to be contemplating something. "Rainpaw…" she finally began. "Are you alright? You don't seem like your normal self…"

Rainpaw slipped out her claws and started to rip up the grass underneath her paws out of sheer frustration. Why wouldn't they all just leave her alone? "Yeah, of course I'm fine." She lied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Fernfrost flicked her ears back and forth, looking like she wanted to say more, but with a sigh she thumped Rainpaw on the head with her tail and walked back towards the rest of the patrol.

The warrior's departure didn't stop the apprentice from ripping up the grass more, so she continued; eventually, it sent dirt and blades of grass still attached to the root flying everywhere.

"Hey!" The familiar voice of Loudpaw shouted, abruptly jolting Rainpaw out of her anger. "What did the grass ever do to you?"

The she-cat whipped her head around to stare at the tom, who was regarding her with obvious worry. She shifted her gaze to the area around them, only to notice that they were the only ones there.

"Where are the others?" Rainpaw asked.

Loudpaw lifted a paw and pointed it towards somewhere in the distance. "They went on up ahead. I came back to get you."

"Thanks," she told him sincerely. "Really, but… I think I'm going to stay here."

Loudpaw's eyes widened. "Why?"

_Now he's got me. _

"I, uh… What if some WindClan cats come from this side, and you're all up there? It'd be good to stay here and keep an eye, like I told Darkcloud I would earlier."

Loudpaw gave a thoughtful look, fully convinced at the mention of Darkcloud's name. "Alright, I guess that makes sense."

_Yes!_ Rainpaw mentally crowed in joy.

"So I guess I'll just stay here with you!"

Her joy instantly plummeted."No! …I-I mean, that's fine. Really. But you don't _have_ to!"

"Nonsense!" Loudpaw shook his head. "I can't leave you here alone."

"Yes, you can!" she insisted. "Besides, you have to go and inform the rest of the patrol about what I'm doing, so they don't worry."

Since it looked like the ginger and white tom was speechless and unsure, she added, "I'll be fine! And if there's any trouble, well, you know how fast I can run to get help." With every word she spoke, her amber eyes bore into him, willing for him to _just leave already_.

Then, with a deep sigh, Loudpaw nodded his head in agreement. "Alright, fine, but Rainpaw?" Rainpaw blinked at the tom, waiting for him to say more. "Be careful."

And finally he was gone.

Now alone, Rainpaw turned around and looked cautiously across the WindClan border. There was no sign of cats anywhere, she didn't even smell a rabbit.

_This is silly, just sitting and waiting like this! _She huffed._ Even if a Windclan patrol does show up, that doesn't mean Sneakpaw will be in it! _

Moments passed, and eventually the she-cat gave in to defeat. She had just gotten to her paws and was about to go and try to catch up with the rest of the patrol, however, when she heard voices.

"Oh shut up, Sneakpaw! You think you're better than everyone else, when in truth, you're no better than the rest of us!"

_Sneakpaw?! _Rainpaw's heart swelled with emotion.

"Now, now, Copperpaw. Calm down, there's no need for you two to start a fight." The voices started to get closer.

Now panicked in fear of them seeing her, the apprentice looked around for someplace to hide. _Yes, a bush! __StarClan must be on my side today! _

Rainpaw rushed straight into the bush, leaves getting stuck into her fur. The position she had landed in was rather odd and uncomfortable, but once she managed to get settled in, she discovered with glee that she could spy on the WindClan patrol through the small, leafy branches of her hiding place.

The first to appear was a brown tom with white ears, with a smaller brown tom in tow.

_They must be Horsepelt and Copperpaw. _Rainpaw thought to herself.

Then another brown tom came into sight, his long narrow face and odd-shaped teeth immediately identifying him as Ratface. And lastly, a young gray tabby tom with pale blue eyes stepped into view.

_Sneakpaw! _Rainpaw had to resist the urge to run over to him and… and… Well, she didn't know what she would have done, though she knew she wanted to at least greet him.

"Ugh!" Horsepelt hissed as the group of cats reached the border. "ThunderClan stench! They smell absolutely awful!"

"Yeah, yeah! They stink!" Copperpaw parroted, standing tall and proud next to his mentor.

"Not to mention they're ruthless killers." Ratface added darkly. "What they did to Heathershine was unforgivable. They must be punished." The tom slipped out his claws and raked them across the peat soil. Rainpaw waited for Sneakpaw to speak up in her clan's defense, but he remained silent.

_Oh, I see how it is. _Rainpaw snorted inwardly._ Too afraid to stand up for another clan? Is that it? _

While the she-cat continued to think up rude comments inside her head that she would never dare say aloud, Ratface had begun to scent the air. Suddenly, his noise wrinkled in disgust, and he swiveled his head to face his companions. "You smell that?" He asked the rest of them.

The patrol all stopped what they were doing to stare at the warrior.

"Huh?" asked Copperpaw, eyes wide.

Ratface grunted in impatience. "ThunderClan. Fresh. What, is your ability to smell gone or something?" The tom put his nose to the ground and following the sent trail, started to head near the bush where Rainpaw was.

It was only during that moment did Rainpaw realize the bush she had picked was located right in front of the WindClan border. _Oh, for the love of StarClan… _

"Hey! Wait!"

Ratface suddenly stopped, and lifted his head to glare at Sneakpaw for his outburst. "What?!" The older tom snarled.

Not afraid of the other, Sneakpaw stepped a bit closer. "You're getting too close to the border."

"So?"

"So… That means the scent is from the other side. You know, _t__heir _territory. The place where their scent _should_ be. So it's not surprising that you smell them." the apprentice continued. "A border patrol of theirs must have just passed by. No big deal, right? Unless of course you want to step over the border and maybe cause another battle, and for what? To confirm that there was a fresh scent there?"

Ratface could only look at him with a blank expression.

"If you want to go on ahead and possibly start another struggle with them though, be my guest." Sneakpaw sighed dramatically, and then added solemnly, "It seems the death of Heathershine just wasn't enough for you."

By now the whole patrol was staring at Sneakpaw, as well as Rainpaw.

_Wow, he seems so calm about it! I guess I was wrong about him,_ mused Rainpaw as she took back most of the rude things she had previously thought of him. _I'm too quick to judge it seems. He probably just didn't want to raise suspicion… _

Suddenly Ratface was very, _very_ close to Sneakpaw, spitting in his face angrily. "How dare you speak to a warrior that way? Your mentor, no less!" When Sneakpaw only shrugged indifferently, Ratface growled in outrage and pinned his apprentice to the ground.

Surprised by the attack, the gray tabby tried to throw Ratface off. He lifted his back legs and attempted to push the much large tom away, but his mentor refused to let go and they ended up tumbling down the hill they were on.

As much as Rainpaw desperately wanted to go and help her friend, she had to stay hidden and could only hold her breath in horror.

"Ratface!" Copperpaw yowled, racing after the two brawling cats with Horsepelt not far behind. "Stop it!"

_Where are they?_ Rainpaw panicked._ I can't see them! _

Silence had once again settled over the area, and where the WindClan patrol had once stood was now empty, as if they were never there at all. It was almost like she had imagined it, but soon a yowl in the distance confirmed that it was painfully real and kept Rainpaw from leaving the bush.

As time went by though, the apprentice assumed that the patrol was not coming back and slipped out.

"Ah, so you finally decide to come out?"

Alarmed, Rainpaw whipped around to face a young, light gray tabby tom. "Sneakpaw!" she gasped. "You scared me! Why did have to sneak up on me like that?"

The tom let out a huff of amusement before shrugging. "What can I say? I wasn't named what I am for nothing."

Rainpaw exhaled slowly as Sneakpaw started to walk up to her. "Well, I'm just glad it's just you and not some other cat."

Remembering the tussle he had with Ratface, the she-cat looked the other cat over. "Are you hurt?" she asked in concern.

Sneakpaw shook his head even though she could see where he had been scratched. "I'm fine. Ratface is just a little… you know, tough."

Rainpaw nodded in understanding, thinking of Darkcloud. "Yeah, I do."

The darker flecked apprentice then stepped closer to the border, the wind ruffling her fur. "I had fun that night." she informed him.

Sneakpaw paused to stare at her. "Is that why you're here?"

The she-cat stood still for a moment, not sure what to say. _Is it? Is that the reason? _

"Maybe."

The tom in front of her shuffled his paws. "Are you saying you want to go to the Secret Place again?"

Rainpaw narrowed her eyes in a mischievous manner. "Are you saying you'll take me?"

When he didn't answer, Rainpaw started to feel doubt, but it quickly vanished and was replaced with excitement as he laughed and replied, "Yeah, sure, I'll take you. Meet me here tonight?"

The ThunderClan apprentice pawed at the soft grass, eager. "Tonight? Okay!"

Sneakpaw's eyes lit up. "Alright. See you then!"

And then he took off, leaving Rainpaw to stand there with her heart beat erratic and her emotions soaring. _I better head back to camp now…_ She told herself after a while. _They'll start to get suspicious if I don't._

The she-cat turned slowly, reluctant to leave, and started to walk off. _Could I really sneak out of camp again? What if Silverpaw finds out? She would be so mad…_

Lost in thought, the apprentice didn't seem to be paying attention to where she was going until a horrible scent filled her nose. "Ugh!" Rainpaw exclaimed in surprise. "Smells like crow-food!"

Only one place smelled this horrible, and lo and behold, the apprentice was now standing in front of the ShadowClan border. _Oh, great. I really need to pay more attention to where I'm going… _

Rainpaw began to turn to head in the right direction though when she saw a pair of gleaming eyes from across the border. "Who's there?" demanded Rainpaw with a hiss, standing taller than usual.

Then suddenly, without warning, she was tackled to the ground. Adrenaline kicking in, the apprentice slashed out at the cat with her claws, causing the enemy to back up in alarm. _Didn't think I'd fight back, huh?_ She thought smugly.

Rainpaw rushed forward and bowled the cat over, now determined to win, but the cat was much larger and managed to keep their balance. They pushed Rainpaw to the ground, pinning her, and were about to bite her throat when the apprentice batted the other away, rolled over to the side and jumped to her paws.

Both cats halted to catch their breath, and now that they had locked gazes Rainpaw could see that her attacker was a white and silver she-cat. Before she could say anything, however, the she-cat ran straight for Rainpaw one again. Tired of how this was dragging on, Rainpaw simply side-stepped the intruder, and watched in slight amusement as they ran straight into a bramble thicket.

Once they composed themselves, the cat hissed and snarled and cursed before turning and charging again. Rainpaw, this time more aware, leapt into the air and onto the other's back. The other she-cat was much larger, but she fell to the ground anyway, where she was now pinned.

"Please let me go!" she pleaded.

Rainpaw snorted. "Why should I?"

_This cat is much stronger… _She mused. _Why is she so afraid of me?_

"Please!" the other she-cat insisted. "I just want to go home!"

Rainpaw dug her claws further into the enemy's back, now annoyed. "Then you should have stayed there!"

The cat beneath her paws whimpered and struggled. _What would Darkcloud do…? _The ThunderClan apprentice thought. She then remembered the incident with Derby.

"You're coming with me, hostage!" she declared loudly. Rainpaw got off of the other cat and took a stance, ready if her new-found hostage tried to escape.

Much to her surprise, the other didn't. "Fine. Where's your camp?"

_That's odd… She doesn't seem scared anymore… _

"Uh… This way. Follow me." Rainpaw instructed before racing off into the forest. The other she-cat followed, as if this happened to her everyday and it was no big deal. _How odd…_

* * *

_**~oOOo~**_

* * *

When they walked into camp, every cats' eyes were on them.

"Who is that?"

"Why is she here?"

"Not this again!"

Cats mumbled to one another while Stormysky approached them. "Rainpaw. Who is this and why is she here?"

The apprentice blinked up at her father. "Um… I'm, uh, not sure. Who she is, I mean."

The ThunderClan deputy looked back at the hostage. "Wait. You're Fastcloud of ShadowClan, are you not?" The she-cat next to Rainpaw nodded, suddenly looking uneasy.

"Why are you here in ThunderClan's camp?"

Fastcloud's whiskers quivered as she spoke. "This cat here has taken me as a hostage, for stepping over the border."

Stormysky then turned his gaze to his daughter, who just looked at her paws. The dark gray tom turned back towards Fastcloud. "Come with me." he told her stoically. "You are to speak with Lightningstar."

And so they left, leaving Rainpaw to stand there as they made their way toward the Leader's den.

"Wow! I knew you were a good hunter, but still, catching a cat! Never would have thought."

Whiskers twitching at the familiar voice, Rainpaw whirled around to face Flashpaw as he walked up to her her.

"Oh, shush, you fluff-ball!" teased Rainpaw.

The ginger tom looked as if he was about to playfully retort, but abruptly stopped; his eyes flashed momentarily, as if he had just realized something, before returning to normal. This didn't escape Rainpaw's attention, however.

"What is it?" she asked him worriedly.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." Flashpaw said, and though he sounded absentminded, the slight choke in his words at the end didn't go unnoticed. Now convinced that something was wrong with her friend, Rainpaw wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Really!" she insisted. "Tell me! Please, I-"

"WindClan!" he blurted, cutting her off. He hadn't intended to just shout it out like that, so after seeing the other apprentice's bewildered look, Flashpaw composed himself and gave an apologetic sigh. "Sorry. It's just… you smell like WindClan. And this isn't the first time you have."

Rainpaw's head began to spin. She grappled for an explanation, anything to satisfy him, but all that came out was the lame reply of, "Well, I did just get back from a WindClan border patrol, so…"

The apprentice trailed off, then tried making eye contact with Flashpaw, who quickly jerked his head away so he wouldn't have to look at her. She tried again, but to no avail, so she settled with asking, "Um… So, where's Silverpaw?"

"Training with Wildfire."

"Oh."

Silence.

Unable to stand the tension any longer, Rainpaw suddenly groaned dramatically and laughed. "Well, I don't know about you," she told him in a fake, cheerful voice. "But I'm hungry! See you around!"

She then rushed toward the fresh-kill pile as fast as she could and grabbed a crow from the top, before heading towards the Apprentice's den. Once she got there, the she-cat sat down and started to devour her meal.

_That was close… And awkward._ Though her acting skills weren't the best, and she knew her excuse had been poor, it was the only way she could think of to flee from the situation.

A few moments later her prey had been finished, and it was at that time Rainpaw decided that what she needed was a good rest. Closing her eyes as she flopped onto her side, the she-cat hoped to dream of a place where all of the cats in her life could get along, and of a place where she wouldn't have to keep secrets or lie anymore.

_That's where I want to be… A place better than StarClan._

* * *

**~oOOo~**

* * *

Rainpaw waited with slight impatience in front of the WindClan border, her amber eyes scanning the territory and her silver-lit fur swaying in the warm breeze.

Suddenly, a voice called quietly out from the murky darkness of the night. "Hey! Rainpaw!"

Perking up at the sound, the she-cat's ears flicked back and forth as she glanced around and tried to find the location of her friend. "Rainpaw!" Came the whisper again, this time sounding a bit fonder. "Over here!"

It was then that a light gray tabby tom stepped out from some heather and into the moonlight; his pale blue eyes were alight with excitement. "You ready to go?"

Rainpaw nodded her head stiffly, paws aching to get a move on. Sneakpaw blinked at her, before nodding himself and crouching down. "Then let's go!"

Sneakpaw sped off, leaving Rainpaw to chase after him, though it didn't take long for her to catch up and run farther ahead of him.

"Like I said before," Sneakpaw marveled. "You're really fast."

Rainpaw didn't answer, as she was already used to such flattery, and continued to focus on running instead. They kept on going until they were almost to the Moonpool.

_Almost there, almost there… _Rainpaw chanted in her mind. _If only I could remember exactly where it was… _

"Stop!" Sneakpaw suddenly muttered loudly; Rainpaw came to a halt. She craned her head backwards, only to see Sneakpaw standing in front of some bushes and to realize that she raced right past their destination.

"Over here." The WindClan tom told her, and then slid underneath the shrubs. The she-cat followed suit, also slithering her way under the bushes.

In front of her now was a small clearing, surrounded by trees with rustling leaves. Up above them Silverpelt was visible, twinkling brightly in contrast to the night. This was the Secret Place. And there, in the middle of all of the beauty around them, sat Sneakpaw, his expression somber.

"I'm so glad you decided to come." He said softly.

"Why wouldn't I come? I had so much fun last time…" The she-cat abruptly stopped, and her eyes widened as if in sudden realization.

"Sneakpaw."

Detecting the slight nervousness in Rainpaw's voice, the tom narrowed his eyes. "Hm? What's wrong?"

Letting out a slow breath, Rainpaw closed her eyes and settled down next to her friend. "Who…" She asked slowly. "Is the new deputy of WindClan?"

Sneakpaw's face crumpled at the question, now filled with sadness. "Snakefang."

Rainpaw held in a gasp. _Snakefang? Snakefang?! First ShadowClan chooses Scarnose, and now WindClan chooses Snakefang?!_

"Will they… Are you… Is WindClan going to attack us anytime soon?" Rainpaw couldn't help but remember and shiver at Ratface's words.

"_What they did to Heathershine was unforgivable. They must be punished."_

Sneakpaw shook his head. "I don't think so, though it wouldn't take much for another cat to talk Breezestar into doing that."

Rainpaw flicked her tail and snorted. "Yeah. I bet Snakefang would just love to jump at the chance to battle. I bet he does it all the time!"

When the tom didn't reply, the she-cat looked over at him; his claws had slid out, and his expression was nothing short of bitter.

"Can we, just, can we not have this conversation?" Sneakpaw spat. "He's my father, you know?"

"_WHAT?_"

"You heard me right." Sneakpaw grunted angrily. "He may be cruel-hearted, but he's still my kin, and I'm not going to sit here while he's bad mouthed!"

Rainpaw was at a loss of words, and upon seeing this, Sneakpaw's fur stopped bristling. Taking this as a chance, the she-cat rushed into her apology. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

The tom simply looked down at his paws, almost as if he was ashamed of himself. "It's fine." He told her wearily; the brightness in his eyes had dulled, and it was almost as if he had… deflated. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn't have over-reacted, you didn't know. It's- Just forget it, I forgive you, you're okay. I mean, I can't blame you, since I feel the same way about him, but…" It was obvious Sneakpaw believed he had said too much, for then he trailed off and fell silent.

Rainpaw felt queasy inside, and she was unsure of what to say. _Come on, come on, anything to cheer him up…_

Suddenly something flashed in the corner of her eye, distracting her. _Huh? What was that?_ The flash then appeared in front of her, and now could be distinguished as not a 'flash', but a flicker.

_There it is again! But there's more!_

Soon millions of the flickers had filled the small clearing, hovering in the air as if someone had taken stars and tied them to dangle on strings.

"They're called Lightning Bugs." Sneakpaw whispered to Rainpaw, now right beside her, his breath ruffling the fur by her ear; he seemed to have revived at the arrival of the bugs. Their proximity sent a tingle down the ThunderClan apprentice's spine, and her stomach clenched with an unknown feeling.

"How do they do that?" she finally managed, once the weird feeling in her belly had faded away. "You know, come back and forth. Appear and disappear."

Sneakpaw let out a small sigh and a shrug, regarding her with amusement. "How am I supposed to know?"

"Well, you kind of do the same thing as they do, so I figured you knew their secrets." Rainpaw teased. The tom simply groaned good-naturedly.

"Very funny. Just roll with it, Rainpaw!" And without warning, he had taken off, chasing the bugs around the clearing. Rainpaw watched as he attempted to catch them, but failed miserably. Every time his paws came close to touching them, they slipped away, just out of reach.

"Hey! It was there a second ago!" Sneakpaw complained, swiping at the air with his claws. "Stupid bugs…"

Unable to sit off to the side any longer, Rainpaw bounded up to him. "Here, let me try!"

Quietly yet cautiously, she reached toward one of them with her paw, and was extremely pleased when it landed right on it. The apprentice couldn't believe it; the bug just stayed there! It looked like a tiny flashing star, as if sent from StarClan itself.

"Got one!" She cheered to her companion smugly, but kept it low enough so that it didn't startle the tiny creature resting on her.

Sneakpaw's face was twisted in a way that made him seem almost envious, but when Rainpaw looked over to brag to him, he quickly relaxed his face and forced out a snort.

"So? It's just a stupid bug." He sneered.

"Oh, shush! You couldn't even catch one!"

Irritation now clearly decorating his features, Sneakpaw slowly stalked over to the other apprentice. "Neither did you." he retorted hotly. "It just landed on your paw."

Then without warning, he leapt forward and knocked Rainpaw's paw away; the bug, alarmed, let its light go out and blended in with the darkness. It was gone.

"You mouse-brained jerk!" Rainpaw spluttered, confused as to why her friend was acting the way he was. "Look what you did! Ugh, what is your problem?"

Looking as if he had been struck by her words, Sneakpaw shrunk in on himself looked away. "Sorry." He choked out, eyes wide. "I-I- I just-"

The tom sighed, the same dullness from before returning to his eyes, and shifted a bit towards Rainpaw. "I'm... just not used to being out-shined I guess. I'm always being called the smartest and the strongest and I just felt really uncomfortable that this was actually happening to me and-"

He cut himself off as Rainpaw rested her tail on his shoulder.

"Don't worry." She told him in a warm but determined tone. "I'm going to turn you from the proud jerk you are to a kind-hearted cat in no time."

He stared at Rainpaw with his pale blue eyes, speechless, before a purr started to rumble in his throat. "Good luck then."

And so the two spent the rest of their short night sharing tongues and staring up at the stars, which then seemed to shine brighter than ever before. They lay underneath the night sky on the soft grass, sharing stories about their clan's antics and teasing each other about meaningless things.

But throughout the rest of their time together, Rainpaw's mind was set to one thing and one thing only.

She would change Sneakpaw, and would make him a better cat.

That was a promise.

* * *

**Erin: Aw, Rainpaw made a cute promise!**

**K.A.K: Promises are meant to be broken though.**

**Silver: *thumps K.A.K on the head***

**K.A.K: Oi! Cut that out!**

**Erin: You're such a killjoy, man.**

**K.A.K: Fine, then I'll make up for it.**

**HEY, YOU, THE READER! Go check out the story Erin and Silver are making, _Stormy Skies_!**

** I am not whatsoever involved with this one, so if you ever read it and think about how much you miss me and my wonderful editing skills, then I just want to say that I love you all YES I DO THAT'S RIGHT.**

**Silver: I'm going to hit you again.**

**K.A.K: I'll set my fanbase on you if you do!**

**Erin: You have a fanbase?**

**K.A.K: ...no.**

**Silver: Ahem. Well.**

**R & R!**


	14. AN: Roleplay(?) Announcement!

**Erin: Hey everyone! It's Erin! *jazz hands***

***waits for applause***

***crickets***

**Well then! *puts hands on hips***

**Sorry that we haven't uploaded in forever, but it's not my- OW! You hit me!**

**K.A.K.: Shh! Hear nothing, see nothing, SAY NOTHING.**

**Erin: *rubs head* Anyway… We're doing this roleplay thing(?) and-**

**Silver: YAY!**

**Erin: ...As I was saying, I thought I could do it for Goldenleaf's Betrayal! (I will be posting the next chapter to the story soon as well, so please look forward to that!)**

**Silver: Whoo! Yeah!**

**Erin: Are you eating Nutella.**

**Silver: ...no?**

**Erin: Give it.**

**Silver: NOOO.**

***Erin and Silver start to fight***

**K.A.K.: (weirdos) So, while they chase each other around over a jar of-**

**Erin: OF EPICNESS? HECK YEAH! IT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE, MY FRIENDS!**

**K.A.K.: Okay, well, while they do that, just know that Goldenleaf's Betrayal involves Striketail (the arrogant priss that fights with Silverpaw, you all remember him don't deny it). You all know his father, but do you know his mother? A-**

**Erin: Victory! *holds up jar***

**Silver: *screeches and tackles Erin***

**K.A.K.: For the love of GOD SOMEONE _HELP ME _(I can't do this anymore)**

**I believe the whole point of this was that: If you want to Roleplay with Erin or whatever, you can go to Warrior Cats RPG (put a period here) c o m (remove the spaces)! **

**Username: Rainspirit1. **

**Have fun guys!**


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